tonight, cosby under fire. a judge ruled this week that the man once known as america's that will stand trial for sexual assault in pennsylvania. more than 50 women have accused him, and some of them are speaking with abc. with ath vargas is here preview tonight. what a story we have all been watching. elizabeth: absolutely. this week, said this criminal trial will in fact go forward, which sets into motion the two biggest decision the judge in this case will have to make before the trial even starts, and which many say could determine how this trial goes. ofl that feel deposition bill cosby be allowed in the? that the position in which he admits giving women quaaludes to get them to have sex with him. and we'll the testimony of the women you will hear from tonight be allowed as well? it is not just a matter of he said/she said, but he said/they 50 women now. you will hear from them tonight. it is very graphic at times an extraordinarily painful for these women to talk about this, about how nobody believed them

. >> reporter: cosby under fire. >>> good evening. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. a potential game changer just this week, after a pennsylvania judge ordered bill cosby to stand trial. almost certain to be the biggest celebrity criminal case since the o.j. simpson trial. of course, that trial was televised. but pennsylvania courts don't allow cameras in courtrooms. so what might take place there? >> legal experts say that testimony from numerous women could be presented to show a pattern of behavior. perhaps something like what you're about to see right here tonight. here's the latest. >> a judge has ruled that bill cosby will face charges. >> the defense was extremely aggressive. >> reporter: it has been a long fall for the once powerful and revered entertainer, from magazine covers to mug shot. just this past tuesday a pennsylvania judge ruled there was enough evidence for bill cosby to stand trial in a sexual assault case. >> he is now in seven defamation sexual assault or sexual battery lawsuits filed by 13 accusers in three different states. >> it feels like he

fire under control. a coroner is currently on the scene. there's no official word if indeed somebody died in the fire. >>> happening today, comedian bill cosby is due in a montgomery courtroom for a preliminary hearing in a sex assault case. the supreme court denied a stay in the case yesterday. a judge will determine today if the case will go to trial. former temple university employee andrea constan claimed she was drugged and molested by cosby at his home in 2004. there's a chance constan will take the witness stand him we'll have a report in the next half-hour of "action news." >>> a berks county woman is accused of stealing nearly $30,000 from her job. julie richards is an officer manager. the owner of the law group said he found out when the internal revenue service came knocking on his door demanding back taxes. she did not pay the firm's taxes for more than two years, now she owes the internal revenue service around $70,000. she was charged with theft and forgery. >>> president obama is pressing vietnam to respect human rights on day two of his visit to the county. vietnam is routinely criticized for its human rights record and holds

fire under control. a coroner is currently on the scene. there's no official word if someone died in the house in allentown. >>> bill cosby is due in montgomery county courtroom for a preliminary hearing in the sex assault case, the pennsylvania supreme court denied a stay yesterday. a judge will determine if the case should go to trial. andrea constan claimed she was drugged and molested at his cheltenham home in 2004. there's a chance contan will take the witness stand today. we'll have a live report in the next half-hour on "action news." >>> a berks county woman is accused of stealing $0,000 from her job. she also accused of stealing from the exeto are law group. he found out when the internal revenue service came knock on the door for back taxes. richards were as was charged with theft and formry. >>> the parent of a toms river boy who was four when he shot and killed a 6-year-old. a judge ruled that the they will have to pay punitive damages to his parents. the riewlings -- the ruling follows a wrongful death lawsuit. he was sentenced to three years in prison last year after he pleaded guilty to child endangerment. >>> president obama i