New reports are revealing that Pennsylvania prosecutors have asked the United States Supreme Court to review the ruling that overturned the sexual assault conviction of Bill Cosby. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, back in 2018, Cosby was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University staff member more than a decade ago.
As a result of the conviction, The Cosby Show star served three years in prison for his crimes. However, in June 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned that conviction ruling that a “non-prosecution agreement” Cosby made with a prior prosecutor should have made it impossible for him to be criminally charged.
According to Castor, the 2005 agreement was, if Cosby sat for a deposition in the civil case brought by Constand, then Cosby would be immune from a criminal trial.
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The deal was made because Castor didn’t believe he had enough evidence to get a conviction. It was during that deposition that Cosby admitted to giving quaaludes to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
Bill Cosby was then released from prison on June 30. Now the District Attorney’s Office in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania is asking the United States Supreme Court to determine whether or not the agreement Cosby made with then-prosecutor Bruce Castor should have been used as “a grant of immunity,” NBC News reports.
Because the decision to overturn Bill Cosby’s conviction has set a precedent for other cases, the petition issued by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele says that it’s “the right thing to do” to have the high court look at the case. “This decision as it stands will have far-reaching negative consequences beyond Montgomery County and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Supreme Court can right what we believe is a grievous wrong.”
At the time of the 2004 assault, Cosby’s victim Andrea Constand was a Temple University employee at his suburban estate. After being convicted in 2015, as Fox2Detroit reports, rather than show any remorse towards Constand, Cosby “vowed to serve all 10 years.”
In response to that decision being overturned, Constand and her attorneys issued this response:
“Today’s majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action.” She then added that she was “grateful to those women who came forward to tell their stories,” while she and her attorneys added, “We urge all victims to have their voices heard.”
Bill Cosby, himself, also responded to that decision, saying in a since-deleted tweet:
“I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters, and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”
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