SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a civil defamation lawsuit against comedian Bill Cosby.

Judge Mark Mastroianni ruled Thursday that Katherine McKee had not adequately shown Cosby defamed her when his representatives called a 2014 New York Daily News story on her allegations defamatory and demanded a retraction.

The former actress alleged that Cosby, 79, raped her in a Detroit hotel room in 1974.

McKee was among dozens of women to come forward in recent years 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.

“The Cosby Show” star still faces criminal charges in Pennsylvania.

He’s pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a former employee at Temple University, his alma mater.


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