A U.S. judge has ordered actor and comedian Bill Cosby to stand trial on charges of sexual assault.

Cosby, 78, is accused of drugging and molesting a former Temple University employee in his home near Philadelphia in 2004.

The case was reopened last year after more than 40 women came forward with similar accusations. No trial date has been set.

Cosby has maintained that all of the encounters were consensual.

During the hearing, Cosby’s lawyer had a heated exchange with the judge over police reading a statement from the accuser, Andrea Constand.

More than 40 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, but in nearly all of the cases too much time has elapsed for charges to be pursued.

The Constand case is unusual in that it fell within the statute of limitations for charges.

He is facing civil lawsuits in other states over the other accusations. Cosby is free on US$1m bail.(SD-Agencies)