Trending

In an era of defeats and disappointment, Bill Cosby scores a small judicial victory

NORRISTOWN, PA - DECEMBER 14: Actor Bill Cosby is seen leaving the Montgomery County Courthouse after a pretrial hearing on December 14, 2016 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)

A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against comedian Bill Cosby, although he still faces criminal charges in Pennsylvania.

Judge Mark Mastroianni ruled Thursday that Katherine McKee didn’t adequately show Cosby defamed her when his representatives called a 2014 New York Daily News story on her rape allegations defamatory and demanded a retraction.

RELATED: When Bill Cosby met Sofia Vergara, he was creepy in a way you need to see to believe

The former actress alleged the 79-year-old Cosby raped her in a Detroit hotel in 1974.

McKee was among dozens of women to come forward with allegations recently and among at least eight suing for defamation in Massachusetts, where Cosby owns a home.

Cosby’s lawyers called Thursday’s decision the “correct outcome.” McKee’s attorneys didn’t immediately comment.

In Pennsylvania, “The Cosby Show” star has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a former employee at Temple University.