Bill Cosby to Face Trial in Sex Assault Case, Judge Rules

Comedian faces three counts of felony indecent assault

Bill Cosby returned to court Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing to determine whether there's enough evidence to move Cosby's case to a criminal trial.

The Cosby Show star faces three counts of felony indecent assault from a 2004 case involving Andrea Constand, a former basketball coach at Temple University, Cosby's alma mater. Cosby showed up to court at 9:15 a.m. ET wearing a dark charcoal suit with a white shirt and patterned tie. As he made his way in with the help of an assistant, he cracked several smiles and made a couple of jokes to his attorney, according to NBC News. Constand didn't show up to court, but she wasn't required to testify.

During the hearing, Cosby's defense team claimed the prosecution is relying on "hearsay evidence" that could jeopardize Cosby's right to due process, but the judge allowed it to be entered. After hearing testimony, the judge took a 10-minute recess before ruling Cosby will be held on all charges. The case will move forward in a criminal trial, and he's to be arraigned on July 20. He doesn't have to appear at the arraignment.

Constand claimed during a visit to Cosby's home in 2004, she was given pills and wine that left her barely conscious and able to consent to sex. She was the first person to publicly allege sexual assault against the star.

The district attorney at the time, Bruce Castor, didn't pursue criminal charges at the time, but chose to acknowledge the claims in a civil suit that was eventually settled in 2006. The monetary settlement remains sealed.

In July 2015, 16 court documents containing Cosby's deposition from the settlement were released and revealed he admitted that he had it in his mind to use Quaaludes to have sex with young women, and that he had given Constand three half-pills of Benadryl.

Over the past year Cosby has faced new allegations from dozens of women, and he learned in February that his case could move to a criminal trial because the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, judge found there was no agreement not to prosecute the comedian. Cosby has continuously denied the allegations against him.

Tuesday morning's hearing was set to determine whether there was enough evidence to move the case to a full trial.