The Bill Cosby Backlash
Channel: MentalHouse TV w/Khadijah
Date: 2021-07-05

American comedian Bill Cosby has been the subject of publicized sexual assault allegations and was convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 before the conviction was vacated by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on June 30, 2021.[1] He has been accused by approximately 60 women of rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct. The earliest incidents allegedly took place in the mid-1960s. Assault allegations against Cosby became more public after a stand-up routine by comedian Hannibal Buress in October 2014, alluding to Cosby's covert sexual misbehavior; thereafter, many additional claims were made. The dates of the alleged incidents have spanned from 1965 to 2008 in ten U.S. states and in one Canadian province.[2][3][4]

Cosby has maintained his innocence and repeatedly denied the allegations made against him. He was asked about the allegations in November 2014 and responded, "I don't talk about it!"[5] He has declined to publicly discuss the accusations in interviews in the past, although he told Florida Today that "people shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos."[6] In May 2015, he said, "I have been in this business 52 years and I've never seen anything like this. Reality is a situation and I can't speak."[7]

Following the allegations, numerous organizations severed ties with Cosby and revoked honors and titles previously awarded to him. Media organizations pulled reruns of The Cosby Show and other television programs featuring Cosby from syndication. Twenty-five colleges and universities rescinded honorary degrees.[8] Adweek reporter Jason Lynch noted that the "media landscape has changed considerably—and has now been joined by the far-less-forgiving social media arena."[9]

Most of the alleged acts fall outside the statute of limitations for criminal legal proceedings, but criminal charges were filed against Cosby in one case and numerous civil lawsuits were brought against him. As of November 2015, eight related civil suits were active against him.[10][11] Gloria Allred represented 33 of the alleged victims.[12] In July 2015, some court records were unsealed and released to the public from Andrea Constand's 2005 civil suit against Cosby. The full transcript of his deposition was released to the media by a court reporting service. In his testimony, Cosby admitted to casual sex involving recreational use of the sedative-hypnotic methaqualone (Quaaludes) with a series of young women, and he acknowledged that his dispensing the prescription drug was illegal.[13][14][15]

In December 2015, three Class II felony charges of aggravated indecent assault were filed against Cosby in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,[16] based on allegations by Constand concerning incidents in January 2004. Cosby's first trial in June 2017 ended in a mistrial.[17] Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault at retrial on April 26, 2018[18] and on September 25, 2018, he was sentenced to three to ten years in state prison and fined $25,000 plus the cost of the prosecution, $43,611.[19] Cosby appealed on June 25, 2019 and the verdict was subsequently upheld and granted an appeal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.[20][21]

On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found that an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented Cosby from being charged in the case, and overruled the conviction.[22] The Supreme Court's decision prevents him from being tried on the same charges a third time.[23]

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