Bill Cosby drops lawsuit against supermodel Beverly Johnson

In this Sept. 8, 2015 photo, former model Beverly Johnson poses for a portrait to promote her memoir, 'The Face That Changed It All,' in New York. (Photo by Dan Hallman /Invision / AP)

LOS ANGELES -- Bill Cosby has dropped a defamation lawsuit against supermodel Beverly Johnson, who accused the comedian of drugging her in the 1980s.

Court records show Cosby's lawyers dropped the suit on Feb. 19.

His attorney Monique Pressley wrote in an email Thursday that Cosby made the move to focus on his defence in a criminal case in Pennsylvania.

Cosby is charged there with drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He has denied the allegations.

Pressley wrote that Cosby plans to re-file the case against Johnson before the statute of limitations expires.

The supermodel has repeatedly accused Cosby of slipping a drug into her cappuccino in his New York home.

The dismissal was first reported Thursday by celebrity website TMZ.