Cosby Says No To Paternity Test

Bill Cosby has refused to take a blood test to determine whether he is the father of the woman accused of trying to extort $40 million from him.

Autumn Jackson, 22, of Los Angeles, is accused of threatening to go public with her allegation that Cosby is her father if she was not paid.

Jury selection in her trial is set to begin Monday.

Prosecutors have asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones to bar Jackson’s attorney from asking about the possibility that Cosby is her father. Prosecutors agree with Cosby’s attorney that the paternity issue has no bearing on the extortion case.

Cosby has admitted having an affair with Jackson’s mother. He says he does not believe he is her father but concedes that he could be and acknowledges that he supported her financially until she left school.

In an exchange of letters about the blood test, Cosby’s lawyer, Andrew Schau, told Jackson’s lawyer, Robert Baum: “The identity of Ms. Jackson’s father is not relevant to Ms. Jackson’s guilt or innocence of the crimes with which she has been charged.”