BILL COSBY - COSBY SETTLES LAWSUIT

Comedian BILL COSBY has settled a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said the entertainer drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Terms of the settlement will remain confidential, according to a statement issued on Wednesday (08NOV06) by the woman's law firm. Cosby's publicist DAVID BROKAW confirmed the settlement and said there would be no further comment. The woman claimed that Cosby, 69, assaulted her at his mansion in Cheltenham in early 2004, after giving her pills. Attorneys for Cosby say he gave the woman over-the-counter sleeping medication Benadryl, after she complained of stress and sleeping problems. The federal judge presiding over the case earlier denied Cosby's request for a gag order and the plaintiff's request to shield the names of dozen other women who say Cosby assaulted them. The plaintiff, a native of Ontario, Canada, who is in her 30s, previously worked at Temple University in Philadelphia, which touts Cosby as one of its most famous alumni. The woman, who previously called Cosby a friend and mentor, went to police nearly a year after the encounter, but Montgomery County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges.