Howard K. Stern Files Lawsuit Against Rita Cosby

According to Accesshollywood.com, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin gave the go ahead on the lawsuit that Howard K. Stern filed against journalist Rita Cosby, the one responsible for the book Blonde Ambition, a book about Anna Nicole Smith.

I read the book myself, and the accusations that Cosby made in the book about Stern having a sexual relationship with Larry Birkhead quickly disturbed me. The accusation, itself, did not necessarily disturb me, but the way Cosby made the accusation did.

Specifically, Cosby pledged the existence of a videotape, showing Stern and Birkhead engaging in a sexual relationship, but did not specifically claim to have a copy of such a videotape. This brought into question Cosby's level of sources.

Certainly, if Cosby held in her possession a copy of the videotape, she would have on hand a primary document, which would be hard to dispute. (Does she have a copy? If so, this means that she doesn't have much to worry about in regards to Stern's lawsuit.)

What if Cosby failed to secure a copy of this videotape, though? Could she say that she actually viewed the tape? If so, this would make her a credible source, right? Surely, then, she would need to produce the person who actually let her see the tape.

What if Cosby pointed the finger toward Stern and Birkhead based on what someone told her? Anna Nicole surely failed to tell her of the videotape's existence because Anna Nicole is deceased. We know that Stern and/or Birkhead fail to serve as providers of this information.

So, how did Cosby come to know of this videotape's existence? If Cosby saw it, this makes her a viewer of the primary source, in essence, a secondary source. If a viewer of the videotape told her of the videotape, this makes Cosby a tertiary source, which is equivalent to gossip.

While, some researchers differ in how they define secondary and tertiary sources, the key idea here is to look at the watered-down testimony of the so-called key players in this scenario. Before making an allegation, the person needs to evaluate the evidence which backs up the claim.

So, the real question here, folks, is whether or not Cosby saw the videotape herself or took another's word for it. If she based her accusation on what someone else told her, how far down does the information trickle? Is Cosby a secondary source? Tertiary?

From my standpoint, it looks like someone needs to produce a videotape of Stern and Birkhead's alleged sexual encounter, and quickly. I'm sure some sworn affidavits from some credible sources would carry some weight, but let's face it; tertiary sources aren't credible.

Will Howard K. Stern become a rich man as a result of his lawsuit? You be the judge.

Sources

Accesshollywood.com