Brown University Revoked Bill Cosby's Honorary Degree

Following the allegations made against Bill Cosby by more than 40 women, Brown University has revoked the honorary doctorate it awarded to the comedian. Brown becomes the third university to revoke an honorary degree awarded to Cosby, Marquette and Fordham Universities did so earlier this week.

“The conduct that Mr. Cosby has acknowledged is wholly inconsistent with the behavior we expect of any individual associated with Brown. It is particularly troubling as our university community continues to confront the very real challenges of sexual violence on our campus and in society at large,” Christina Paxson, Brown’s president said in an open letter.

Cosby’s spokesman did not respond to Reuters request for a comment, but his lawyer sent an angry letter to Fordham University. That letter accused the university of “grossly mischaracterizing…Mr. Cosby’s actions,” and asserted his innocence.

Reuters notes that a Los Angeles judge ordered Cosby to give a sworn deposition on Friday, October 9th as part of an ongoing lawsuit. It will be the first time Cosby has “testified under oath about a complaint of sexual misconduct since the 2005 deposition.” In the 2005 deposition, the comedian admitted to purchasing Quaaludes with the intention of giving them to women he planned to have sex with.