Lawyers: Lost evidence, misconduct make defending Cosby hard

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby's lawyers say his Pennsylvania sexual assault case followed "a perfect storm" of mistakes and misconduct by a federal judge, an ambitious prosecutor and a celebrity lawyer.

They argue in a filing Thursday that the 79-year-old Cosby can't properly defend the decade-old accusation when key witnesses have died and evidence has been lost.

Cosby is set for trial in June on charges he drugged and molested a Temple University employee in 2004. He calls their encounter consensual.

Prosecutors say they reopened the case last year amid new evidence.

Defense lawyers call a judge's decision to unseal portions of Cosby's deposition from the woman's lawsuit "baseless."

They say District Attorney Kevin Steele pursued Cosby to further his career and lawyer Gloria Allred rolled out new accusers to grab the spotlight.