The Sad Irony of Bill Cosby Finally Being Prosecuted

Eddie Griffin On Bill Cosby: Black Male Stars Don"t Leave This Business Clean

Why did you wait so long to report?

Thats the question that Bill Cosbys lawyer Bruce McMonagle reportedly said hed have asked Andrea Constand if shed been at the Tuesday hearing where a judge decided her accusations of sexual assault by the comedian will, finally, be tried in criminal court.

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Bill Cosby and His Enablers

To date, more than 50 women have accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct. Constand was the first. In January of 2005 she told police that a year earlier, Cosby had touched and penetrated her after drugging her. A prosecutor decided against proceeding with the case, and Constand followed up with a civil suit that resulted in a 2006 settlement. After that came an accelerating drip of women making allegations about incidents spanning a wide swath of Cosbys career, from Kristina Ruehli (1965) to Chloe Goins (2008).

Throughout, these women have faced suspicion and ridiculefrom the Cosby team, from allied celebrities, and from members of the public making their thoughts known on social mediafor not coming forward sooner. How big is his p***s that it gives you amnesia for 40 years? the comedian Damon Wayans said in a riff bashing the accusers. That Constand went to police about a year after the alleged event and is still facing this same question shows how slippery its premise can be: Most any time period can apparently be declared suspicious.

Constand remained in contact with Cosby in the time between the alleged assault and her going to the police, with her mother at one point calling the sitcom icon to ask what hed done to her daughter. Newly public deposition transcripts from the 2006 civil suit have Cosby describing his M.O. in terms that dovetail with the stories of the accusers who would later come forward, except when it comes to whether they were consenting or not. At one point, he talked about having an agency send five or six models to his studio each week while filming his sitcom. In another, he explained what happened with Constand after hed given her drugs that hed described as a remedy for stress:

Q: So, youre not telling us that you verbally asked her for permission?

A: I didnt say it verbally, I said. The action is my hand on her midriff, which is skin. Im not lifting any clothing up. This is, I dont remember fully what it is, but its there and I can feel. I got her skin and its just above the hand and its just above where you can go under the pants.

Q: Then what happens?

A: I dont hear her say anything. And I dont feel her say anything. And so I continue and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection. I am not stopped.

The question of why many sexual-assault victims often delay in making allegations, especially against public figures, has been answered time and again. Justified fears of reprisal and disparagement have to be put into the cost/benefit calculationand if anything, the Cosby situation has highlighted the costs. People often these days say, Well, why didnt you take it to the police? another accuser, Tamara Green, told New York Magazine last year. Andrea Constand went to the police in 2005howd it work out for her? Not at all. In 2005, Bill Cosby still had control of the media. In 2015, we have social media. We cant be disappeared.

Constands case, incidentally, also defies other rhetoric that Cosbys defenders tend to use about accusers. As an athletics administrator at Temple University, she didnt have a clear interest in gaining public exposure. She wasnt speaking out only after it became fashionable to do soCosbys reputation at the time was sterling. As to the fact that Cosby himself has never been convicted of a crime, that could now change now, too. So whats harder to believe: that it took a year for Constand to make an accusation, or that its taken 11 years and dozens more women coming forward for those accusations to be prosecuted?

Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/cosby-andrea-constand-coming-forward-sooner-trial/484190/

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Bill Cosby to Stand Trial on Sexual Assault Charges

Eddie Griffin On Bill Cosby: Black Male Stars Don"t Leave This Business Clean

Transcript for Bill Cosby to Stand Trial on Sexual Assault Charges

including that bill bill Cosby bombshell. He will stand trial on charges he drugged and sexually assault women in 2004. ABC"s linsey Davis is outside the courtroom in Philadelphia. Good morning, linsey. Reporter: Good morning, George. The face-to-face encounter between bill Cosby and one of his accusers Andrea constand didn"t happen at yesterday"s hearing but she is expected to testify at the trial. Still, there was lots of drama in the courtroom. The 78-year-old actor waved to fans on his way into court Tuesday where he learned the fate of his effort to avoid prosecution. A Pennsylvania judge ruling there is enough evidence for him to stand trial in a sexual assault case. She was unable to concept, you know, that"s the crime. Reporter: Not present in court, Andrea constand who prosecutors say was drugged and sexually assaulted by the comedian at his Pennsylvania home in 2004. According to the criminal complaint constand told investigators Cosby urged her to take three blue pills and after ingesting them everything became blurry and dizzy saying she was unable to move or speak during the assault and describing her condition as frozen and paralyzed. Cosby never criminally prosecuted and the prosecutor declining to press charges at the time. In a civil deposition related to the same alleged encounter Cosby admitted to kissing and heavy petting with con stapdz but maintained it was consensual. There was no evidence of a crime here. And that the inconsistencies that plague this investigation from the beginning continue to plague it now. Reporter: During the 3 1/2-hour hearing Cosby"s attorneys gave insight into their possible defense. After the so-called incident, the complainant continued to contact Mr. Cosby, the complainant accepted a dinner invitation from Mr. Cosby. This is wrong. Reporter: This morning, a group of Cosby supporters say they"ve spent thousands of dollars to get ads on the air in defense of the embattled comedian calling the case against Cosby a witch-hunt. More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault. You can expect that the prosecution is likely going to fight vigorously to try to get their testimony included in this case. Cosby"s defense team has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. Robin. Linsey, thank you. Joining us now is Nancy grace, host of "Nancy grace" on HLN and here in the studio our chief legal analyst Dan Abrams. Nancy, let me begin with you, prosecutors at the time of the alleged assault did not file criminal charges so how strong is this case against bill Cosby? Well, I find that very disturbing that they did not go forward, but what I think is more important than the prosecution"s decision not to go forward way back in 2005 is the fact that she went to authorities. It"s not as if she sat back and thought about it all these years, took a money settlement and then at the last moment just before the statute of limitations runs she goes forward with criminal charges. She went to police and made as we call it in the law an outcry. She told people what happened at the time. That"s very significant. Yeah, people need to keep that in mind, of course. Constand as we heard in Lynn so report one of many women who have come and accused bill Cosby. Will that -- will others come forward. That"s the most important legal question in the case. They"ve come forward. The question will they be able to testify? Exactly. If they are, this case against bill Cosby is going to be a very powerful, strong one. If they can"t, if a court deems that they cannot testify as part of this case, this is not going to be that easy a case against bill Cosby. Yes, they have statements from his deposition which fundamentally change things. Yes, they"ll have her account. But keep in mind, it took her many months if not almost a year to come forward to report the crime. There"s the time that has passed since then, there is the he said/she said element of this and let"s not just presume because it"s moving forward it will be a slam conduct for prosecutors. The defense, Nancy -- ? He"s right. You can"t presume anything. Right. You know the defense was vocal in the preliminary hearing yesterday. They were even shouting at times and constand was not there for the preliminary hearing and, of course, she would have to be in court at some time, wouldn"t she? Well, yes, under the constitution the accused who is bill Cosby has a right to confront and cross-examine his accuser. But, you know, all that blustering and grandstanding by the defense, that didn"t mean a hill of beans to me. She did not have to be at the preliminary hearing. That is standard in most jurisdictions. I expected the defense attorney to bluster his way and complain and scream but I think, Dan, you really hit the nail on the head in that -- there have been cases for I got up to ten similar transactions in on the case in chief. If they come in, this case is over and I think Cosby"s own words under oath are going to haunt him. Would you expect her to take the stand. She will take the stand. The fact she didn"t testify in the preliminary hearing doesn"t mean anything. She will testify in the criminal case. Dan, Nancy, Nancy, always good to see you. Thank you very much, both of you.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/bill-cosby-stand-trial-sexual-assault-charges-39360538

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Wednesday"s 5 things: Donald Trump. Bill Cosby. Falluja.

Bill Cosby"s Going To Trial

1. Campaign 2016

Protesters raised a ruckus last night outside Donald Trump"s rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They broke a glass door, set fires, threw rocks -- in other words, typical protester stuff. Police didn"t arrest anybody, just kept them away from the building where the rally was held. They might as well get used to The Donald. He won Washington state"s GOP primary last night, putting him less than 10 delegates shy of the nomination.

2. Bill Cosby

A Pennsylvania judge has decided there"s enough evidence to put Bill Cosby on trial -- more than a decade after he was first accused of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home. No word on when the trial will start. But the 78-year-old disgraced comedian faces up to 30 years in prison if he"s convicted on any of the three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault.

3. Iraq

Troops advancing. ISIS entrenched. Civilians in the crossfire. That"s the situation in Falluja, and the United Nations is worried about 10,000 families trapped there. Iraq has dropped leaflets urging resident to leave, but ISIS won"t let them. Getting back Falluja is a big priority for Iraq because, along with Mosul, it"s one of the last two Iraqi cities still in ISIS" clutches.

4. Taliban

The Taliban in Afghanistan has a new leader. Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada was picked to replace Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, who the U.S. killed in a drone strike. Akhundzada"s considered more of a religious scholar than a soldier or politician, but that doesn"t really matter, since no one expects the Taliban to suddenly change its murderous ways. Just yesterday, a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul left 10 people dead.

5. Brain injuries

Iconic BMX biker Dave Mirra had CTE, making him the first extreme sport athlete to be diagnosed with the disease. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been diagnosed in a number of ex-pro football players. CTE"s believed to come from repeated blows to the head and results in memory loss, rage and mood swings. Mirra shot himself to death back in February.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

Quote of the day:

"It"s a violent game that I personally don"t think humans are supposed to play."

Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley, who"s been involved with the sport all his adult life, wondering if football is just too dangerous.

Content of the character

Twitter"s stretching its 140-character limit, giving us all more room for those "Game of Thrones" spoilers. Thanks, geniuses.

Breaking the bank

Not everybody in the music industry is broke. Sony"s got enough cash lying around to give Adele a record-breaking $130 million deal.

Web wonder

An Oxford professor wants to use spider webs to create implants for humans. Because that worked out really well for Peter Parker, right?

Phone flexibility

A bendable cell phone is coming. Isn"t that what an Apple Watch is?

Here"s a tip

A waitress gets a 350% tip and a life-affirming note: "Life is short, a friend of mine died last night. Please enjoy a night with someone you love!"

WHAT"S FOR LUNCH

Here"s what"s coming up later

Show and tell

The TSA will show off its new experimental screening lanes at the Atlanta airport - the world"s busiest. The lanes are supposed to speed things up. Yes please.

Number of the day

$2,500

The amount per month Switzerland may give to every adult citizen, if voters OK it.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/25/us/five-things-wednesday/index.html

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Bill Cosby has defenders, thanks them on Twitter

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Bill Cosby receives support from Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg
• Cosby has been accused of rape by a number of women
• Public opinion has generally been against Cosby

(CNN) -- The court of public opinion has hardly been supportive of Bill Cosby, but the 77-year-old comedian still has his defenders.

Last week, singer Jill Scott engaged with several people on her Twitter account after being approached to sign a petition asking Temple University to cut its ties with Cosby.

Cosby, who attended the school and served on its board, has been accused of rape by a number of women in recent weeks. Through his attorneys, he has repeatedly denied the claims.

Cosby facing litany of allegations

"oh ok. So they've proven the alleged allegations? I didn't know. Will they also be giving him back the millions he's donated?" Scott tweeted to the petition request.

On Sunday, Scott responded to criticism with another tweet.

"u know Bill Cosby? I do child and this is insane. Proof. Period," she wrote.

Cosby resigned from the Temple board of trustees on Monday, but his Twitter account, @BillCosby, took note of Scott's support Wednesday morning.

"Thank you @MissJillScott, from the Cosby Family," read the tweet.

Cosby also thanked Whoopi Goldberg. On the November 17 edition of "The View," Goldberg said that people should be skeptical of what they hear.

"Quite honestly, you know, look, I'm sorry, having been on both sides of this where people allege that you do something, it doesn't matter now," Goldberg said after the "View" panel discussed the allegations of Cosby accuser Barbara Bowman. "The cat is out of the bag; people have it in their heads. I have a lot of questions for the lady. Maybe she'll come on."

"Thank you @WhoopiGoldberg," responded @BillCosby on Tuesday.

Cosby also received support from comedian Faizon Love, though Love's tweets have been more inflammatory.

"you sorry porch monkey deserve everything you get...you gonna stand up for this b*tch and and not a man like Mr. Cosby," he wrote on November 22 in response to a person criticizing Cosby.

After some back and forth, Love said he doesn't believe in trying Cosby in the media.

"Let me be clear, I don't support rape, but @billcosby has been convicted in the media & that is unjust as well #DueProcess," Love tweeted.

Love even went so far as to post "I support Bill Cosby" in large letters on his Instagram account.

The stories of Cosby's purported crimes have been around for about a decade, but in the past two months, they've received new life, stoked particularly by a routine by comedian Hannibal Buress that went viral and a social media stunt that went awry.

At least 18 women have spoken publicly accusing the comedian of sexual misconduct, and many of the women say he drugged them before he raped them. Some of the alleged attacks took place decades ago.

Cosby's attorney, Martin D. Singer, has repeatedly denied the claims. Singer said in a statement to CNN that it defies common sense that "so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years."

On Tuesday, a woman named Judy Huth filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress during an incident at the Playboy Mansion, according to the documents first obtained by Radar Online (PDF).

The alleged sexual assault took place in 1974, when Huth was 15 years old.

Michael Bilello, a crisis management strategist, doesn't think the celebrity support will make much difference in changing the public's opinion of Cosby.

"The public impression made by Cosby's continuous PR blunders, compounded by the parade of accusers giving detailed accounts, it's certainly created an image that I believe is beyond character endorsements by celebrity personalities," he said.

"There are some loyal friends that, while you respect them standing by their man, (Cosby's) actions -- or inactions -- speak louder than their words."

CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin, Ben Brumfield, Dana Ford, Ronni Berke, Katia Hetter and Ed Payne contributed to this story.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/bill-cosby-defenders/

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Lou Ferrigno's wife Carla Ferrigno accuses Bill Cosby of assault; more come ...

Ten.

Thats the number of women who have come forward to publicly claim Bill Cosby sexually abused them, or attempted to.

They say they are telling their stories after enduring years fearful or embarrassing silence, but Cosbys lawyer has come out against some of the women, calling them liars and opportunists, and labeling the press coverage a feeding frenzy.

Carla Ferrigno, who is now married to bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, said she was working as a Playboy Bunny in 1967 when she went on a double date with the comedian and his wife. She claims the date ended up at the Cosbys house, and when Cosbys wife Camille retired for the evening, and her companion disappeared, Cosby attacked her.

"He was much bigger than me. Much bigger and he pulled me so hard and so rough. I had never been treated so roughly and he pulled me hard to him so hard, she told the Daily Mail. And then kissed me so hard, right in the mouth. No one has ever been that physically violent with me. I was stunned. I was frozen. I took all my body strength and used both of my arms to stop him and push him away from me. He was so forceful."

She said she was speaking out now because "I want to be one of those women. One more nail in the coffin."

Former child actress Renita Chaney told KDKA-Pittsburgh she met Cosby in the 1980s when she was 15 and acting on his educational television segments called Picture Pages. Over four years she said he would fly me to a number of cities. He would be busy during the day, then Id come to his hotel room at night.

She said Cosby would insist she have drinks, even though she was underage.

One time, I remember just before I passed out, I remember him kissing and touching me and I remember the taste of his cigar on his breath, and I didnt like it, Hill said. I remember another time when I woke up in my bed the next day and he was leaving, he mentioned you should probably lose a little weight. I thought that odd, how would he know that?

She said she was unconscious so she didnt know if she was raped, but suspected she was.

Former model and actress Angelia Leslie told The Daily News that the comedian forced her to m********e him in a hotel room in 1992. She said he offered her a drink but she refused.

"I couldn't drink it. I tasted it and put it down, she said. Then he asked me to go into the bathroom and wet my hair. I walked back out, and he had removed his clothing and gotten into bed. She said Cosby poured lotion into her palm and put her hand on him, and his on hers. "He masturbated with my hand. I wasn't pulling back. I was in shock."

Actress Louisa Moritz told TMZ that she was at the NBC studios in 1971 waiting in the green room for an appearance on The Tonight Show when Cosby came in and "suddenly approached me and took out his p***s, which was now in the line of my face [she's 5' tall] and pressed up against it."

"He took his hands and put them on the back of my head and forced his p***s in my mouth, saying, 'have a taste of this. It will do you good in so many ways."

Therese Serignese, now a nurse in Boca Raton, said the television icon raped her in 1976 when she was 19 years old following a show in Las Vegas. She said she went backstage and when the two were alone, Cosby gave her two pills and a glass of water, saying, "Take these."

"My next memory is clearly feeling drugged, being without my clothes, standing up," she said. "Bill Cosby was behind me, having s*x with me."

Barbara Bowman, an aspiring actress, said in a Nov. 13 Washington Post column that she was 17 and blacked out after Cosby drugged her, waking up to find herself in panties and a man's T-shirt with the television icon looming over her. She said she was certain she was raped.

Joan Tarshis on Monday said she was a 19-year-old who wanted to be a comedy writer when Cosby gave her a drink and forced her to perform oral s*x on him.

Janice Dickinson on Tuesday told "Entertainment Tonight" that Cosby had given her red wine and a pill when they were together in a Lake Tahoe, California, hotel room in 1982. Cosby's lawyer, Martin Singer, said in a letter to the AP that Dickinson's charges were "false and outlandish."

Tamara Green wrote an opinion piece Wednesday for "Entertainment Tonight." In 2005, Green publicly claimed that she was drugged and Cosby attempted to assault her; Cosby's lawyers have previously denied they knew each other.

In addition, Andrea Constand filed a civil suit against Cosby in 2005, which lawyers said would include testimony from 13 unnamed women. The suit was settled out of court.

Cosby's attorney has blasted many of the accounts. "People coming out of nowhere with this sort of inane yarn is what happens in a media-driven feeding frenzy," he said.

Cosby spokesman David Brokaw did not respond to APs request for comment. Singer, in a statement released Sunday, criticized previous "decades-old, discredited allegations," stating that "the fact that they are being repeated does not make them true."

Cosby made no mention of the allegations Thursday during a benefit performance in the Bahamas for a women's service organization. He stuck to his routine, including stories about his childhood growing up in the projects of Philadelphia. There were few empty seats in the house, and a few people gave him an ovation when he finished his set.

Some in the audience said the allegations against Cosby remain unproven, and they added that his performance was a benefit for what they felt was a good cause.

Dozens of Cosby's television and comedy colleagues have either refused to comment or not returned telephone calls from The Associated Press in recent days.

Cosby declined to comment in two recorded interviews by The Associated Press and National Public Radio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/11/21/lou-ferrigno-wife-carla-ferrigno-latest-to-accuse-bill-cosby-assault/

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