Bill Cosby Granted Appeal In Sexual Assault Case

TOPLINE

Bill Cosby will be allowed to appeal his 2018 sexual assault conviction, with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreeing Tuesday to review two aspects of the case that the comedian’s lawyers have challenged.

KEY FACTS

Key Background:

Cosby was initially arrested on charges of aggravated indecent assault in late December 2015, just days before the expiration of the 12-year statute of limitations. His first trial ended in a mistrial in June of 2017, after jurors remain deadlocked following six days of deliberations. Dozens of other accusers had come forward after Cosby’s arrest, but the judge presiding over that first trial allowed just one of the women to testify. In the retrial, which began in April 2018, near the height of the #MeToo movement, the amount of Cosby’s settlement with Constand was revealed ($3.38 million), and the judge allowed five women to testify that Cosby assaulted them in ways similar to how Constand says she was attacked. The jury found Cosby guilty on three counts: of penetration with lack of consent, penetration while unconscious and penetration after administering an intoxicant. In December 2019, a three-judge appellate panel upheld the sentence.

Critical Quote: 

“As we have all stated, the false conviction of Bill Cosby is so much bigger than him — it’s about the destruction of ALL Black people and people of color in America,” said Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt.

Further Reading:

Bill Cosby granted appeal in Pennsylvania sex assault case (Associated Press) 

Bill Cosby Assault Case: A Timeline From Accusation to Sentencing (New York Times)