Aug 15 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Monday rejected the comedian Bill Cosby's effort to reseal court documents whose contents helped kindle the sexual assault cases he now faces.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that Cosby's appeal was moot after the contents, including what it called damaging admissions he had made in a 2005 deposition regarding his sexual behavior, received wide publicity.

"Resealing the documents would not provide Cosby with any meaningful relief, and thus this appeal is moot," the court said. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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