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It emerged in late 2014 that
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
, an American media personality, sexually assaulted dozens of women throughout his career. Cosby made significant contributions to American and
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric image, and gained a reputation as "America's Dad" for his portrayal of
Cliff Huxtable Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show,'' which aired from 1984 to 1992. He was portrayed by actor and comedian Bill Cosby and appeared in all 201 episodes of the show. Cliff ...
on ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' (1984-1992). He received numerous awards and
honorary degrees An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
throughout his career, most of which have since been revoked. Cosby has been accused by approximately 60 women of
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
,
drug-facilitated sexual assault Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a sexual assault (rape or otherwise) carried out on a person after the person has become intoxicated due to being under the influence of any mind-altering substances, such as having consumed alcohol or b ...
,
sexual battery Battery is a criminal Offence (law), offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more general ...
,
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
, and
sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...
. The earliest incidents allegedly took place in the mid-1960s. Assault allegations against Cosby became more public after a
stand-up Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
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. Cosby has maintained his innocence and repeatedly denied the allegations made against him. Amid 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 ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' and other television programs featuring Cosby from syndication. Ninety-seven colleges and universities rescinded
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
s. Most of the alleged acts fall outside the
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...
for criminal legal proceedings, but criminal charges were filed against Cosby in one case and numerous
civil lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
s were brought against him. As of November 2015, eight related civil suits were active against him.
Gloria Allred Gloria Rachel Allred ( Bloom; born July 3, 1941) is an American attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving the protection of women's rights. She has been inducted into the National Women's ...
represented 33 of the alleged victims. In July 2015, some court records were unsealed and released to the public from
Andrea Constand ''Andrea Constand v. William H. Cosby, Jr.'' is a civil suit filed in March 2005 and resolved with an undisclosed cash settlement (including a confidentiality agreement between its two parties) in November 2006. It was later revealed that the amo ...
'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 Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg met ...
(Quaaludes) with a series of young women, and he acknowledged that his dispensing the prescription drug was illegal. In December 2015, three Class II felony charges of aggravated indecent assault were filed against Cosby in Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, based on allegations by Constand concerning incidents in January 2004. Cosby's first trial in June 2017 ended in a
mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
. Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault at retrial on April 26, 2018 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. Cosby appealed on June 25, 2019 and the verdict was subsequently upheld and granted an appeal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found that an agreement with a previous prosecutor,
Bruce Castor Bruce Lee Castor Jr. (born October 24, 1961) is an American lawyer and retired Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was appointed as the first Solicitor General of Pennsylvania in March ...
, prevented Cosby from being charged in the case, and overruled the conviction. The Supreme Court's decision prevents him from being tried on the same charges a third time. The Montgomery County district attorney's office filed a ''
certiorari In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of an English prerogative writ, issued by a superior court to direct that the record of ...
'' petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, but on March 7, 2022, the petition was denied, making the decision of the state supreme court final. Cosby’s legal issues continued following his release from prison. In 2014 Judy Huth had filed a civil suit against Cosby in California, alleging that he had sexually assaulted her in 1975, when she was 16 years old. The trial began in 2022, and the jury ruled in Huth’s favour. Cosby was ordered to pay $500,000 in compensatory damages.


Background


1965–1996 allegations

The earliest allegation against
Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
dates back to December 1965: in 2005, Kristina Ruehli came forward as
Jane Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...
#12 in the
Andrea Constand ''Andrea Constand v. William H. Cosby, Jr.'' is a civil suit filed in March 2005 and resolved with an undisclosed cash settlement (including a confidentiality agreement between its two parties) in November 2006. It was later revealed that the amo ...
case and alleged that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her at that time in his
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
home. Further, Ruehli said she had told her boyfriend about the incident, and had told her daughter in the 1980s. In the early 1980s, Joan Tarshis told freelance reporter John Milward about an alleged sexual assault by Cosby. Milward did not write about the allegations. In 1996, ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...
''
Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...
Victoria Valentino gave a videotaped interview in which she made sexual assault allegations against Cosby. The interview was conducted for an exposé on the lives of ''Playboy'' models, which was never published. After the allegations resurfaced in 2014,
Wendy Williams Wendy Williams Hunter ( Wendy Joan Williams; born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show ''The Wendy Williams Show.'' Prior to television, Williams ...
recalled that during her radio show in 1990, she referred to sexual assault allegations against Cosby that had been published in the ''
National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...
'' tabloid. Williams said Cosby called her boss in the middle of the broadcast demanding that Williams be fired.


Later allegations and investigations (2000–2006)

On February 1, 2000, according to a statement provided by Detective Jose McCallion of the
New York County Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
's Special Victims Bureau, Lachele Covington, who was 20 years old at the time, filed a criminal complaint against Cosby alleging that on January 28, 2000, at his Manhattan townhouse, he had tried to put her hands down his pants and then exposed himself. Covington also alleged that Cosby grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hands down her pants. Cosby was questioned and insisted "it was not true." The
New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
(NYPD) referred her complaint to the D.A., but they declined to prosecute. In January 2004, Andrea Constand, a former
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
employee, accused Cosby of drugging and fondling her; however, in February 2005, Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
's District Attorney said there would be no charges due to insufficient credible and admissible evidence. Constand then filed a
civil claim A cause of action or right of action, in law, is a set of facts sufficient to justify suing to obtain money or property, or to justify the enforcement of a legal right against another party. The term also refers to the legal theory upon which a p ...
in March 2005, with thirteen women as potential witnesses if the case went to court. Cosby
settled out of court In law, a settlement is a resolution between disputing parties about a legal case, reached either before or after court action begins. A collective settlement is a settlement of multiple similar legal cases. The term also has other meanings in t ...
for an undisclosed amount in November 2006. After learning that charges were not pursued in the Constand case, California lawyer Tamara Lucier Green, the only publicly named woman in the prior case, came forward with allegations in February 2005 that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her in the 1970s. Cosby's lawyer said Cosby did not know her and that the events did not happen. In a July 2005 ''
Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. The ''Dail ...
'' interview, Beth Ferrier, one of the anonymous "Jane Doe" witnesses in the Constand case, alleged that in 1984 Cosby had drugged her coffee and she awoke with her clothes partially removed. In 2005, Shawn Upshaw Brown, a woman with whom Cosby admitted to having an
extramarital affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
in the 1970s, claimed in the ''National Enquirer'' that Cosby drugged and raped her the last time the two were together sexually. Brown is the mother of Autumn Jackson, who claims to be Cosby's illegitimate daughter. Jackson was convicted in 1997 of
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
after she threatened to make the claims public in the ''
Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model globe ...
'' tabloid. In 2015, Brown went into more detail with her renewed allegations in an interview. On June 9, 2006, ''Philadelphia'' magazine published an article by Robert Huber which gave graphic detail about Constand's allegations, and the similar stories told by Green and Ferrer about how they stated that they too were drugged and sexually assaulted. With these severe allegations against Cosby, Huber wrote: "His lawyers have gotten it pushed to the back burner, down to a simmer, and maybe it will amount to nothing, yet there is also the possibility that it will bubble up to destroy him." The article was titled ''Dr. Huxtable & Mr. Hyde'', in allusion to both Cosby's character Dr. Cliff Huxtable on ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' and to a person having two starkly distinct "
Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
" personalities. This article also presented Barbara Bowman, who had come forward after having read about Constand's story, saying she could not sit in silence any longer. Details of Bowman's similar drug and sexual assault allegations were published in the magazine's November 1, 2006 issue. Bowman reported two incidents that happened around early 1986, wherein she was eighteen years old and working as an aspiring model and actress after her agent had introduced her to Cosby and he had become her good friend and mentor, saying that she escaped his attacks, returned home to Denver and Cosby thereafter subverted her career.


Hannibal Buress remarks (October 2014)

On October 16, 2014, as part of a
stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
routine in Philadelphia, Hannibal Buress addressed Cosby's legacy of "talk ngdown" to young black men about their mode of dress and lifestyle. Buress criticized the actor's public moralizing by saying, "Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby, so that kind of brings you down a couple notches." The audience appeared to respond to Buress's accusation as an incredulous joke, then he encouraged everyone to search "Bill Cosby rape" on
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
when they got home. Buress had been using the same Cosby routine for the previous six months with little response, but word of the October performance spread rapidly after being posted on ''Philadelphia'' magazine's website. Media coverage intensified, with numerous publications tackling the question of how Cosby had managed to maintain, as Buress called it in his routine, a "teflon image" despite more than a decade of public sexual abuse accusations.
* Accompanying video:
Shortly afterward, ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' reported that either Cosby or his representative posted a request for
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
followers to "Go ahead.
Meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
me!" The tweet was deleted after a large number of the submitted memes made reference to the accusations against Cosby.


Additional assault allegations

After Buress's remarks came to the attention of journalist Joan Tarshis, in November 2014, model
Janice Dickinson Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 16, 1955)As per Dickinson in NNDB aJanice Dickinson profilegives February 15, 1955, noting, "Although Dickinson has maintained in several interviews and her autobiography ''No Lifeguard on Duty'' that she ...
, actress
Louisa Moritz Louisa Moritz (born Luisa Cira Castro Netto; September 25, 1936 – January 4, 2019) was a Cuban-American actress and lawyer. After arriving in New York from Cuba, she became a film and television actress, then earned a law degree. She is best k ...
, actor
Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. (; born November 9, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles; and appeared in the documentar ...
's wife Carla, Florida nurse Therese Serignese, ''Playboy'' Playmates Valentino and Sarita Butterfield, actress
Michelle Hurd Michelle Hurd (born December 21, 1966) is an American actress best known for her work in television. She first received recognition for portraying Monique Jeffries in the police procedural series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999–20 ...
, and eleven other women also made accusations of alleged assaults by Cosby committed against them between 1965 and 2004.
Charlotte Laws Charlotte Anne Laws (Born May 11, 1960) is an American author, talk show host, animal rights advocate, anti-revenge porn activist, former Los Angeles politician, and actress (under the stage name Missy Laws). Laws is a former BBC News contribut ...
wrote a November 2014 article published by ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
'' accusing Cosby of assaulting a friend of hers, with whom she subsequently had lost contact. The following month, in a '' Vanity Fair'' article, model
Beverly Johnson Beverly Ann Johnson (born October 13, 1952) is an American model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Johnson rose to fame when she became the first African-American model to appear on the cover of American ''Vogue'' in August 1974. In 1975, Jo ...
alleged that she was drugged by Cosby during a 1986
audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...
, and that she knew other women with similar accounts. Cosby's attorney said Dickinson's account differed from prior accounts she had given of the incident and released a statement that said in part: "Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment." A follow-up statement dismissed the allegations as "unsubstantiated" and an example of "media vilification". A joint statement from Cosby and Constand, who had received a civil settlement in 2006, clarified the statement released a few days prior by stating that it did not refer to Constand's case, which was resolved years ago. In January 2015, Cindra Ladd alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1969. In May 2015, Lili Bernard claimed that Cosby sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s, and that she had been interviewed by police in
Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, regarding the allegation. Because the state of New Jersey has no
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...
for rape, Bernard hoped charges would be brought, but media reports noted "it wasn't clear...if what ernardsays happened to her happened in New Jersey." On July 27, 2015, ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
'' magazine's cover featured images of 35 women sitting in chairs with the last chair empty, suggesting there may be more victims who have not come forward yet. The 35 women told "their stories about being assaulted by Bill Cosby, and the culture that wouldn't listen". Eleven other women known to ''New York'' who alleged sexual assault by Cosby declined to be photographed and interviewed for the feature. According to '' Vox'', the stories span "more than five decades" and are "remarkably similar, typically involving the comedian offering a woman a cup of coffee or some sort of alcoholic beverage—which may be spiked with drugs—and allegedly sexually assaulting the victim as she's impaired or unconscious." On September 17, 2015, A&E broadcast the documentary ''Cosby: The Women Speak'', a program in which thirteen alleged victims were interviewed. By October 24, nearly sixty women had claimed they were sexually abused by Cosby, and the terms "
sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...
" and "
serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending ...
" were used to describe him. Jewell Allison, one of Cosby's accusers, described him as a "sociopath" and stated: "We may be looking at America's greatest serial rapist that ever got away with this for the longest amount of time. He got away with it because he was hiding behind the image of Cliff Huxtable."


Table of accusers' allegations

Cosby has been accused by sixty women of
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
,
drug facilitated sexual assault Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a sexual assault (rape or otherwise) carried out on a person after the person has become intoxicated due to being under the influence of any mind-altering substances, such as having consumed alcohol or ...
,
sexual battery Battery is a criminal Offence (law), offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more general ...
, or other
sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...
. There were also two instances of alleged
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
, both involving girls 15 years of age. The earliest alleged incidents took place in the mid-1960s, with the rest scattered all the way until the latest in 2008. Cosby attorney Marty Singer stated, "There is virtually no standard by which the media are holding Mr Cosby's accusers ... Anyone and everyone who wants to file a suit or get on television can be guaranteed fawning coverage. The very same media have demonstrated an unconscionable disinterest in the veracity of his accusers and their motives." Cosby has maintained his innocence and repeatedly denied the allegations. In November 2014, in response to a question about the allegations, Cosby said: "I don't talk about it." Cosby has declined to discuss publicly the accusations in past interviews. However, he told ''Florida Today'': "people shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos." 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." * Witness in 2005 Constand civil case References For Accuser Table:


Criminal investigations


Constand case


Unsealing of ''Constand v. Cosby'' deposition

On July 8, 2015, Constand and her attorney Dolores Troiani filed a motion to negate the
confidentiality agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
in the 2005 case against Cosby, claiming Cosby had already engaged in "total abandonment of the confidentiality portions of the agreement" by way of the recent, sweeping denials of all allegations against him. A judge ruled that releasing the sealed documents was justified by Cosby's role as a "public
moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...
ist" in contrast to his possible criminal private behavior. Although some of the files from the Constand case had been unsealed, the transcript of Cosby's several depositions was not among them. Instead, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' had been able to obtain the complete deposition from a court reporting service that had been hired by Constand's attorney and released the document to the general public. After it was discovered that the transcript of the deposition had been released, Cosby's lawyers filed a new motion in the case on July 21, 2015, asserting that Constand and Troiani may have orchestrated the release. In the court filing condemning the release of the deposition, Cosby's attorneys stressed that none of the testimony that was actually unsealed by a judge stated that he engaged in non-consensual sex or gave anyone Quaaludes without their knowledge or consent. "Reading the media accounts, one would conclude that the Defendant has admitted to rape", the document said. "And yet the Defendant admitted to nothing more than being one of the many people who introduced Quaaludes into their consensual sex life in the 1970s." Cosby's lawyers further contended that a court reporting service hired by Constand had released the 2005 court transcript to the ''Times'', days earlier, in a "massive breach of protocol". The court reporters' code of ethics prohibits the release of testimony without all parties first being contacted. In the deposition, Cosby denied any sexual assault of any women but admitted he had used
sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...
s to help gain their cooperation. He testified that he had obtained Quaaludes from
gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...
Leroy Amar, who knew Cosby had no intention of taking the drugs himself. Cosby instead intended to give them to women he wanted to have sexual relations with and admitted he had given the drug to at least one woman and other people. Cosby admitted knowing it was illegal at the time to dispense the drug to other people. Amar would later have his
medical license A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a governme ...
revoked in California and
New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
; he died in 2002.


2015 criminal charges

On December 30, 2015, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Constand as a result of a single incident alleged to have occurred at his home in Cheltenham Township on an unspecified date between mid-January and mid-February 2004 (referred to by media coverage as "January 2004"), according to the very detailed arrest warrant affidavit filed on December 29, 2015. These were the first criminal charges as a result of sexual assault allegations that had been made by many women against Cosby. Cosby was
arraigned Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisdi ...
that afternoon without entering a plea; his
bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...
was set at $1 million. Cosby surrendered his
passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
, posted bond, and was escorted to the Cheltenham Township police station to be booked, fingerprinted, and photographed for a mug shot. The charges are based on Constand's statement to police of unwanted sexual contact, though not intercourse, in early 2004, that had been first reported to the Durham Regional Police Service near Constand's home in southern Ontario, Canada, on January 13, 2005; the report was forwarded to authorities in Pennsylvania. On February 17, 2005, the then-district attorney,
Bruce Castor Bruce Lee Castor Jr. (born October 24, 1961) is an American lawyer and retired Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was appointed as the first Solicitor General of Pennsylvania in March ...
, had released a statement that charges would not be brought at that time. Constand launched a civil lawsuit against Cosby in 2005 which was settled by the defendant in July 2006, on a confidential basis. Some of the testimony from that case was unsealed in July 2015. Based on details revealed in this testimony, along with new interviews with certain witnesses, newly elected District Attorney Kevin Steele decided to file charges on December 30, 2015. The criminal court documents allege that blue pills, said to be
Benadryl Benadryl is a brand of various antihistamine medications used to stop allergies, whose content varies in different countries, but which includes some combination of diphenhydramine, acrivastine, and/or cetirizine. It is sold by Johnson & Johnso ...
by Cosby, were given to Constand, who had also been drinking wine during the January 2004 incident. Cosby's attorney issued a statement saying, "We intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law." Cosby's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault charges in January 2016, stating that Castor's office had promised in 2005 that Cosby would not be prosecuted. In testimony involving Cosby's motion to dismiss the charges, Castor defended his decision not to bring charges, citing among other things Constand's year-long delay in reporting the allegations, her continued contact with Cosby, and suggestions that she and her mother might have tried to extort the TV star. On February 3, 2016, Judge Steven O'Neill ruled "there was no basis" to dismiss the case based on Cosby's assertions. Cosby's legal team sought an
appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
before the
Superior Court of Pennsylvania The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts (the other being the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania). It is based in Harrisburg. Jurisdiction The Superior Court hears appeals in criminal and most ...
; on April 25, 2016, the Superior Court refused to hear Cosby's appeal from the denial of his motion to dismiss the charges, lifted a temporary stay of the pre-trial hearing, and sent the case back to the original court. On April 13, 2016, Cosby filed a motion with the Superior Court to re-seal the deposition from the original Constand lawsuit. His lawyers made a similar request in federal court in
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
earlier, but that motion was denied by Judge David H. Hennessy, who likened these efforts to putting the "toothpaste back in the tube" since Cosby's testimony had already been in the news for months. At the preliminary hearing on May 24, a judge found that there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial, despite the fact that Constand did not testify, which is allowed under Pennsylvania law. He set a pre-trial hearing for September 6. Cosby appealed this decision based upon the belief his legal team had the right to
cross-examine In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and ...
the accuser; he lost this appeal on October 12. The
Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...
announced it would review the state law in a separate case, to which Cosby's lead attorney, Brian McMonagle, said he would try to add Cosby's case in hopes of having it thrown out. On September 6, 2016, Judge Steven O'Neill set a trial date for June 6, 2017. On April 12, 2017, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear Cosby's appeal to question Constand before the trial. Cosby had faced a maximum of fifteen to thirty years in prison if found guilty on all three counts and a
fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...
up to $25,000. His trial started on June 5, 2017, and ended in
mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
on June 17.


Judith Huth

On December 16, 2014, after a ten-day investigation, Los Angeles prosecutors declined to file any charges against Cosby after Judith Huth claimed the comedian molested her around 1974 at the
Playboy Mansion The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby Hills ...
. Huth had met with Los Angeles police detectives for ninety minutes. In rejecting the case, prosecutors evaluated the charge Cosby would have faced in 1974. Prosecutors took into account legislative changes that extend the statute of limitations for certain crimes but found no way that Cosby could be legally prosecuted.


Lili Bernard

On April 30, 2015, Cuban-American visual artist Lili Bernard filed a sexual assault complaint against Cosby in New Jersey, a state that has no statute of limitations for sexual assault. On July 1, 2015, prosecutors declined to prosecute Cosby because the alleged offense happened before 1996 (the year the law was changed to lift the statute of limitations).


Chloe Goins

From July through October 2015, the
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
(LAPD) conducted a criminal investigation into Cosby's alleged sexual assault of then 18-year-old model Chloe Goins. The following day, in a statement to
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, the LAPD said it will explore any sexual assault accusations against Cosby, including accusations for which the statute of limitations has expired, and referred the case to the
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
D.A.'s office. As with nearly all other cases of alleged sexual misconduct by Cosby, the statute of limitations has expired on this 2008 case, according to most experts. Nonetheless, an investigation of the Goins allegations was opened because "LAPD officials said there were many reasons to investigate sexual assault allegations that fall beyond those legal deadlines. Old accusations may lead investigators to more recent incidents with other victims" and Goins would be allowed to testify if charges were laid in any other (more recent) cases. Cosby's former attorney Martin Singer stated he would provide documentary evidence to the LAPD that established Cosby was in New York on August 9, 2008, the date of the incident alleged by Goins. On January 6, 2016, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office announced that no charge would be laid because they were "blocked by the statute of limitations or lacked sufficient evidence".


First trial

On September 6, 2016, Judge Steven T O'Neill set a trial date in the case of ''Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. William H. Cosby Jr.'', in which Cosby would be tried for three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand. O'Neill set a trial date of June 5, 2017. The judge ruled because Cosby is blind he would need special accommodations during the proceedings. On October 6, Cosby resumed his bid to have his sexual assault case thrown out, arguing that his
due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...
rights were violated. On November 16, O'Neill denied the motion. Cosby faced a maximum sentence of fifteen to thirty years in prison if found guilty on all three counts and a fine of up to $25,000.


Pretrial motions


Evidentiary motions

On September 6, 2016, the prosecution filed a motion to introduce thirteen other accusers to show a method of operation. Cosby opposed the motion. On February 24, 2017, O'Neill ruled that, out of the other accusers that the prosecution wanted to introduce to show a pattern of alleged criminal sexual behavior by Cosby, only one would be allowed to testify. The prosecution also moved to introduce into evidence a recorded conversation between Constand's mother Gianna and Cosby discussing the alleged assault. The
defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...
moved to have the deposition from Constand's 2005 civil deposition thrown out. The judge said he would rule on all these motions at a later date. On September 16, O'Neill ruled that the recorded call between Constand's mother and Cosby would be allowed to be played in court. In his ruling he said that since the call was recorded in Canada, which deems recordings lawful with consent from only one party, it would be admissible. On December 5, O'Neill ruled that the deposition in the Constand civil case and any other evidence gathered by using it would be allowed into the trial. On March 28, 2017, Cosby's defense filed a motion stating that any mention of any other sexual offenses allegedly committed by Cosby should be excluded and that any of Cosby's admissions in his deposition about using Quaaludes or other women he had sex with should also be excluded, even though the judge ruled previously that all information in the deposition would be allowed in court. On March 30, the prosecution opposed this motion and added that comments Cosby made in television interviews with
Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program ...
and in his 1991 book named ''Childhood'' about his quest for "Spanish Fly" showed that he was well aware of
date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...
drugs and that this should also be put into the trial as evidence. On April 28, O'Neill ruled that the use of "Spanish Fly" and any other material from Cosby's book ''Childhood'' would not be allowed. He did however rule that his testimony about Quaaludes would be allowed. O'Neill also ruled that the amount of money paid in Constand's lawsuit settlement would be excluded.


Jury selection

On December 30, 2016, Cosby's defense team filed a motion for a
change of venue A change of venue is the legal term for moving a trial to a new location. In high-profile matters, a change of venue may occur to move a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to widespread public ...
and sought a
jury selection Jury selection is the selection of the people who will serve on a jury during a jury trial. The group of potential jurors (the "jury pool", also known as the ''venire'') is first selected from among the community using a reasonably random method. ...
from a larger pool outside Montgomery County, arguing that any local jury pool would be tainted given negative media coverage of Cosby. On January 5, 2017, the prosecution wrote that the trial should stay in the county, but they would not object to a jury picked from outside the county. On February 27, 2017, O'Neill ruled that he would allow a jury from outside the county but the trial would remain in Montgomery County; he also ruled the jury would be sequestered. On March 13, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a one-paragraph order setting Allegheny County as the county from which the jury pool would be picked. Allegheny County, which includes
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, is the state's second most-populous county. In March 2017, the defense asked the court to call up 2,000 people as potential jurors. They wished to mail the potential jurors a questionnaire so lawyers could winnow the field of potential jurors. The prosecution objected to Cosby's defense team's requests as to the number of jurors to be questioned, the manner in which they were to be selected, and the timeframe for jury selection, saying Cosby was trying to get special treatment. On April 11, O'Neill denied the defense motions on screening jurors and ruled that jury selection would start on May 22 in Pittsburgh, using the usual procedures of law and lasting up to a week. There would be twelve jurors and six alternates. O'Neill also denied a request by the defense to get extra strikes. On May 24, 2017, the jury selection process was completed. The jury consisted of one black woman, one black man, six white men, four white women and six alternates.


Jane Doe No. 6

Jane Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...
No. 6 was a witness for the prosecution and was the only one of the thirteen Jane Does that O'Neil allowed to testify. She is a black woman who came forward in January 2015 under the alias "Kacey". She claimed that in 1996 Cosby gave her a drug and wine and sexually assaulted her.


Racial bias claims

In a press appearance following a hearing in September 2016, Cosby's lawyers claimed for the first time that
racial bias Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
was to blame for the sexual assault charges against their client.Bill Cosby's lawyers claim racism for the first time
Associated Press (September 9, 2016).
In response, prominent
criminal defense lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...
commentators, such as
Mark Geragos Mark John Geragos (born October 5, 1957) is an American criminal defense lawyer and the managing partner of Geragos & Geragos, in Los Angeles. Early life and education Geragos was born in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Flintridge Pr ...
and
Carl E. Douglas Carl Edwin Douglas (born May 8, 1955) is an American civil rights, wrongful death, personal injury, employment, and criminal defense attorney specializing in police misconduct cases. He is best known for being one of the defense attorneys in t ...
, stated that this assertion may be an effort to influence potential jurors. The defense criticized attorney Gloria Allred, who represents several of Cosby's accusers, stating that Allred's "campaign against Mr. Cosby builds on racial bias and prejudice that can pollute the court of public opinion." Allred responded by calling the claim "desperate". She said Cosby "complains about racial bias but what about the African American women whom I represent who accuse him of sexual assault or rape and who refuse to remain silent about what they say they have suffered?" and, "This is not an issue of racial bias. Instead, it is an issue of whether or not Mr. Cosby has committed acts of gender sexual violence."


Declaration of mistrial

On June 17, 2017, O'Neill said the jurors were "hopelessly deadlocked" and declared a
mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
. Reports suggest that the jury deadlocked in a 10–2 vote in favor of convicting Cosby on counts1 (digital penetration without consent) and3 (drugged without knowledge or consent), and was 11–1 in favor of acquittal on count2 (that Constand was unconscious or unaware during the alleged assault). In an account by
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
reporter Tracy Connor, an anonymous juror said that when the jury first told the judge it was deadlocked, on June 15, the votes on the three counts were 7–5, 5–7, and 5–6 with one abstention. Two days later, the vote on one of the counts was 10–2, but then several jurors changed their minds, making it a more even split again. It was described as a "true deadlock." On June 23, a juror told
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
that the deadlock was caused in large part by confusion over the contradicting statements made by Constand during testimony. The juror, speaking anonymously, also said the prosecution presented "no real new evidence". The prosecution announced on the same day of the mistrial that they intended to retry the case.


Second trial

Cosby's second trial was originally set for November 2017, before being delayed to April 2018.


Attorney changes and trial setting

On August 22, 2017, Judge O'Neil granted Cosby's request to change attorneys. Cosby would now be represented by
Thomas Mesereau Thomas Arthur Mesereau Jr. is an American attorney best known for successfully defending Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial, as well as representing many other celebrities. Legal cases Mike Tyson Mesereau represented former wo ...
, who was the lead attorney in the 2005 acquittal at
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's child molestation trial. Kathleen Bliss and Lane Vines would also represent Cosby. The judge also agreed to postpone the trial until at least March 2018 and accepted the new attorney's request to keep the trial local instead of a change of venue like the first trial.


Key motions

In January 2018, the prosecution asked that nineteen other alleged victims be allowed to testify to show a pattern of similar conduct, which is allowed under Pennsylvania law. The defense filed a motion to have the case dismissed, alleging that Constand did not make the phone calls when she said she did. The defense also asked that a former co-worker be allowed to testify to the fact that she said Constand had told her she could make up a story about sexual misconduct and then sue someone for it. The defense has also asked the case be dismissed on
prosecutorial misconduct In jurisprudence, prosecutorial misconduct or prosecutorial overreach is "an illegal act or failing to act, on the part of a prosecutor, especially an attempt to sway the jury to wrongly convict a defendant or to impose a harsher than appropri ...
and claims the statute of limitations has expired as well.


Guilty verdict and sentence

On April 26, 2018, a jury found Bill Cosby guilty of three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault against Constand. The Montgomery County district attorney, Kevin Steele, asked at this point that Cosby's $1million bail be revoked, suggesting that he owned a private plane and could flee. This prompted an angry outburst from Cosby, who shouted, "He doesn't have a plane, you asshole!"; Cosby was ultimately not ruled a flight risk. On September 25, Cosby was sentenced to three to ten years in prison. He was also ordered to pay the cost of the prosecution against him, $43,611, as well as a $25,000 fine. On that day he was placed in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, and moved to the
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) is the Pennsylvania state agency that is responsible for the confinement, care and rehabilitation of approximately 37,000 inmates at state correctional facilities funded by the Commonwealth of P ...
SCI Phoenix in Skippack Township hours afterward.


Appeals

Cosby appealed his conviction, asserting eleven errors in the trial. He argued that the admission of the testimony of five "prior bad act" witnesses was improper, and that these witnesses' testimonies were "too remote in time" and "too dissimilar" to the charges in the trial to be admitted under the rules of evidence. However, on December 10, 2019, Cosby's conviction was upheld by a unanimous three-judge panel in the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, the state's intermediate
appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
. In a 94-page opinion, the court held that the trial court had properly admitted the testimony of five of the nineteen women sought by prosecutors, determining that their testimony suggested a "distinct, signature pattern" in Cosby's "unique sexual assault playbook." Cosby sought a further level of appeal in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. On June 23, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Cosby would be able to appeal his sexual assault conviction based upon questions on testimony from a witness being more prejudicial than probative. The court will hear his appeal on arguments of it were proper for five prosecution witnesses to testify in the case and include a deposition that Cosby admitted to giving quaaludes to other women in the past. The court also agreed to review whether a former prosecutor informing Cosby that he would not be prosecuted for the assault, resulting in Cosby agreeing to testify in his accuser's civil lawsuit, negatively affected the criminal trial. The court heard Cosby's appeal on December 1, 2020.


Parole hearings

On May 28, 2021, Cosby's petition for parole was denied. The parole board said in its decision making, that Cosby would not be considered for parole until after he takes his sexually violent treatment program and develops a parole release plan. Also in their decision making, they cited the fact that Cosby was given a negative recommendation by prison officials. Cosby, through his spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, has stated that he will not ever take the sex classes as this would make him look like he was guilty. The parole board said until he takes his classes they will not have another hearing.


Overturned conviction

On June 30, 2021, the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...
overturned Cosby's convictions. The decision stated that, prior to testifying in the Constand case, Cosby had been reliant on an unwritten promise that district attorney
Bruce Castor Bruce Lee Castor Jr. (born October 24, 1961) is an American lawyer and retired Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was appointed as the first Solicitor General of Pennsylvania in March ...
had made to not prosecute him. Specifically the ruling concluded that Castor's decision to announce publicly that no prosecution would take place, "was made deliberately to induce the deprivation of a fundamental right"—namely the right not to self-incriminate—thus facilitating a civil lawsuit with compelled testimony, which was believed the victim's only realistic route to justice. As with other prosecutor statements such as
plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...
s, this statement was not subject to withdrawal once relied upon, even though it had not been framed as a formal declaration or offer. The court also ruled that the conviction was based on "tainted" testimony, and barred a retrial of the case. According to the ruling, written by Justice
David Wecht David Norman Wecht (born May 20, 1962) is an American attorney and jurist, who has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania since 2016. Prior to his election in 2015, Wecht had served as a judge of the Superior Court of ...
, Cosby's
5th Amendment Fifth Amendment may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights, which protects against the abuse of government authority in legal proceedings *Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of India, 1955 amendme ...
and 14th Amendment rights were violated when he was tried a decade after then-DA Castor issued a press release, carried by multiple major media organizations including
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
, unconditionally stating Cosby would not be prosecuted, with the specific intention to allow a civil court to compel testimony from Cosby and deprive him of the Constitutional right to remain silent so as not to incriminate himself. Cosby was subsequently required to testify during a civil trial that he gave
Quaaludes Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg met ...
to women before engaging in sexual intercourse, doing so, the majority held, under the belief that he would not be prosecuted over his testimony. There was no documentary evidence that any agreement not to prosecute had been reached, but the majority held that Castor's statement was binding on any district attorney who succeeded him and that Cosby should never have been tried, so it ordered him released immediately. Cosby was promptly released that day. The decision was not unanimous. Justice Kevin Dougherty, joined by Chief Justice
Max Baer Max Baer may refer to: * Max Baer (boxer) (1909–1959), American boxing world champion ** Max Baer Jr. Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. (born December 4, 1937) is an American actor, producer, comedian, and director widely known for his role as ...
, agreed with the four-justice majority that Castor's agreement with Cosby negated the conviction but felt that since the district attorney did not have the statutory or
constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...
power to make a non-prosecution agreement binding on his successors, the remedy should have been limited to the suppression of Cosby's deposition in any retrial. Justice Thomas Saylor, dissenting in full, read Castor's press release as simply a statement of what he ''did'' have the authority to do: decline prosecution ''at that time'', with the clear implication that he reserved the right to open a prosecution in the future should circumstances change. Saylor did not find Castor's account of his decision-making credible and thus properly rejected by the trial court; he also accepted the trial court's finding that Cosby's decision to testify was not due to the unwritten agreement. He found the testimony of the non-victim witnesses to be more problematic, and would have recommended a new trial with Cosby allowed to challenge that testimony as unduly prejudicial. District Attorney Kevin Steele said Cosby was released "on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime" and that he hoped that Cosby's release would not discourage crime victims from reporting sexual assaults because "no one is above the law — including those who are rich, famous and powerful." On the other hand, several criminal defense attorneys argued that the fundamental Constitutional right to due process is more than a technicality.


Prosecution petition to U.S. Supreme Court

Five months later, at the end of November, Steele's office filed a ''
certiorari In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of an English prerogative writ, issued by a superior court to direct that the record of ...
'' petition with the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
to hear the case, posing the question as whether the Fourteenth Amendment's protections make a prosecutor's decision not to file charges equivalent to a permanent grant of immunity. Steele cited Justice Dougherty's concurrence as having clearly raised the issue. "The point is not that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court violated its own state laws", the petition said. "The point, rather, is that a reasonably prudent person would have been reckless to rely on a supposed guarantee that the prosecutor did not clearly convey and may not have had the power to grant." It warned that this could make many defendants, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, who have received such prosecutorial promises claim immunity via the
Due Process Clause In United States constitutional law, a Due Process Clause is found in both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, which prohibits arbitrary deprivation of "life, liberty, or property" by the government except as ...
no matter what evidence emerged against them in the future and that the Court should decide this question of first impression before that issue came to a head. Cosby's lawyers and spokesmen derided Steele and his office for attempting this last appeal. " e Montgomery County D.A. asks the United States Supreme Court to throw the Constitution out the window, as it did, to satisfy the #metoo mob" said Wyatt in his own statement in response. Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean doubted the Supreme Court would take the case, and said " seems like a waste of resources and time" to persuade it to. In late January 2022 Bonjean filed a response urging the Supreme Court to decline review. On March 7, 2022, without any noted dissent, the Supreme Court denied the prosecutor's petition, making the decision of the state supreme court final.


Civil lawsuits against Cosby

As of November 13, 2015, there were nine lawsuits pending against Cosby. Huth and Goins were both suing the actor for damages related to their alleged sexual assaults. Although the statute of limitations has run out for most other accusers to sue directly for their alleged assault, multiple accusers have filed
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
lawsuits claiming that Cosby had kept calling them liars throughout 2014. Dickinson, Hill, Ruehli, and McKee have filed individual lawsuits. Green, Serignese, Traitz, Bowman, Tarshis, Moritz, and Leslie are also involved in a combined lawsuit against Cosby. Most lawsuits that are active are currently on hold awaiting the outcome of his criminal trial. Some are still allowed to file motions and depose witnesses, with the exception of Cosby himself. Most judges have indicated that a civil trial will not take place until after the criminal trial. In 2005, Constand sued Cosby. The parties settled the case on confidential terms in 2006. In July 2015, after portions of the sealed deposition were released, Cosby released a statement saying the "only reason" why he settled "was because it would have been embarrassing in those days to put all those women on the stand, and his family had no clue." During summer 2015, both Cosby's legal team and Constand's lawyer Troiani filed motions accusing the other party of having broken the confidentiality agreement that was part of the 2006 settlement. The primary issue alleged by Cosby was that a court reporter released the full transcript of his deposition, blaming Troiani for this act and seeking sanctions against Troiani. A federal judge had unsealed portions of the evidence from the 2005 lawsuit, but that did not include Cosby's statements made under oath. The significance of the availability of the deposition is that it contains admissions made by Cosby about his tactics in dealing with other women, including the use of "powerful sedatives ncluding Quaaludesin a calculated pursuit of young women", according to a ''New York Times'' summary. The transcript of the full testimony was obtained by the ''Times'' from a court reporting service, where it was publicly available. The significance of the availability of Cosby's deposition from the Constand case is that plaintiffs in other cases against Cosby, such as the Green, et al. defamation suit, might be allowed by judges to use the transcript's contents as evidence now that its contents are widely known in the public. Thirty-three of the accusers were represented by Allred. One accuser, Dickinson, was represented by Allred's daughter,
Lisa Bloom Lisa Read Bloom ( née Bray; born September 20, 1961) is an American attorney known for advising Harvey Weinstein amid various sexual abuse allegations, and for representing women whose sexual harassment claims precipitated the firing of Bill ...
. On December 11, 2015, Allred stated in an interview with ''Philadelphia'' magazine that more alleged victims would be coming forward. She said, "More women have contacted me who have not yet spoken out publicly, some of whom may do so in the future and some of whom have chosen not to do so. They wanted me to know the information that they had so it would be of assistance to us and our victim. There are definitely more women who wish to speak out in the future who allege that they are victims of Mr. Cosby."


Andrea Constand

Constand filed a civil claim in March 2005, with thirteen women as potential witnesses if the case went to court. Cosby settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in November 2006. In a July 2005 ''Philadelphia Daily News'' interview, Beth Ferrier, one of the anonymous "Jane Doe" witnesses in the Constand case, alleged that in 1984 Cosby drugged her coffee and she awoke with her clothes partially removed. After learning that charges were not pursued in the case, Green, the only publicly named woman in the prior case, came forward with allegations in February 2005 that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her in the 1970s. Cosby's lawyer said he did not know her and the events did not happen. It was revealed in 2018 that Cosby had settled with Constand for $3.4 million.


Tamara Green, ''et al.''

Green filed a lawsuit against Cosby and his representatives in December 2014, claiming that the continued denials amounted to publicly branding her as a liar, resulting in defamation of character. Green's lawsuit was filed in Cosby's home state of Massachusetts. In January 2015, the lawsuit was amended to allow fellow accusers Traitz and Serignese to be added as co-plaintiffs. Singer had released a statement specifically targeting Traitz after she posted allegations against Cosby on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
in November, calling her story "ridiculous", "absurd", and "utter nonsense". No such denials were leveled explicitly at Serignese, but she claims the sweeping denials against all Cosby's accusers included her and have damaged her reputation as well. On October 20, 2015,
American International Group American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is an American multinational finance and insurance corporation with operations in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. , AIG companies employed 49,600 people.https://www.aig.com/content/dam/aig/amer ...
(AIG) filed legal papers to try to put a stay on the
litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
, pending a court declaration of whether the insurance company had a
duty to defend The duty to defend is a contractual indemnitor or liability insurer's duty to defend the insured or indemnified party against claims. It is generally broader than the duty to indemnify and may cover defense against claims where ultimately no dama ...
Cosby as well as pay for any actual damages won. AIG Property Casualty Company claimed that Cosby's policy did not cover the liability he is currently facing in the lawsuit—but that they have nonetheless been funding Cosby's legal defense "at a considerable cost". On November 13, 2015, it was reported that four more women—Bowman, Tarshis, Moritz, and Leslie—had joined the lawsuit as additional plaintiffs. Bowman, Tarshis, and Leslie are co-represented by Chicago attorney Michael Bressler. Lawyers for Cosby declined to comment. On December 14, Cosby filed a countersuit for defamation against all the plaintiffs, claiming that they had "malicious, opportunistic and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him". He also claims each defendant "knowingly published false statements and accusations". Cosby asked the court to award him unspecified damages and to require that public retractions be made by the women. On February 19, 2016, Cosby's wife Camille was deposed by plaintiffs after unsuccessfully attempting to stop the deposition. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark G. Mastroianni ruled that she could refuse to answer questions about private conversations with her husband. A transcript of the "extremely contentious" deposition was released in May 2016; Camille relied heavily on the marital privilege in refusing to respond to many questions.Ashley Cullins
Camille Cosby's Dramatic Deposition Transcript Unsealed
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (May 20, 2016).
The deposition was interrupted twice as the parties called U.S. District Judge David H. Hennessy to resolve disputes. After the deposition was halted, the court ordered Camille to sit for a second deposition. Lawyers representing the alleged victims planned on deposing
Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
, who, as a friend and collaborator of Cosby for more than fifty years, may have had information vital to the plaintiffs' case. In addition to Jones, plaintiffs intend to depose or
subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
documents from
William Morris Endeavor Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, WME or WME-IMG) is an American holding company for talent and media agencies with its primary offices in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The compa ...
, Cosby's former attorneys Singer and Schmitt, and his publicist David Brokaw. On March 21, 2016, Judge Anita Brody granted some access to the case file of Constand's lawyer, even though she settled in a confidential agreement with Cosby in 2006. However, Brody did limit the release of the case file to materials pertaining to the seven women plaintiffs and other witnesses. On September 28, Cammaratta filed a motion stating that Cosby violated rules of
civil procedure Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits (as opposed to procedures in criminal law matters). These rules govern how a lawsuit or case may be commenced; what ki ...
. The motion asked for the judge to rule that Cosby was personally responsible for the defamation said by his spokespeople and the publication of such materials; and that he should also be liable for causing the plaintiffs' emotional distress from these comments.


Janice Dickinson

Dickinson brought forth a similar defamation lawsuit against Cosby in May 2015, filed in California. According to Bloom, "Calling Dickinson a liar is a defamatory statement under the law... and that's the mistake Bill Cosby made." Later court filings included sworn statements from friends and colleagues who confirmed that Dickinson provided a consistent story for many years about her alleged abuse.
Pablo Fenjves Pablo F. Fenjves (; ) is an American screenwriter and ghostwriter based in Los Angeles, California. His screenwriting credits include the 1995 film ''The Affair'', '' Man on a Ledge'', released in January 2012, and a string of television movie ...
, Dickinson's
ghostwriter A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
, as well as former
ReganBooks ReganBooks was an American bestselling imprint or division of HarperCollins book publishing house (parent company is News Corporation), headed by editor and publisher Judith Regan, started in 1994 and ended in late 2006. During its existence, Regan ...
president
Judith Regan Judith Regan (born August 17, 1953, in Massachusetts) is an American editor, producer, book publisher, and television and radio talk show host. She is the head of Regan Arts. Early life and education Regan grew up in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and B ...
, both asserted that Dickinson came forward with her allegations for her 2002 autobiography, but they were not included in the book because ReganBooks' parent company
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
was afraid of being sued by Cosby. On November 2, 2015,
Los Angeles Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...
Judge Debre Katz Weintraub ruled Cosby and Singer must give depositions despite their efforts to have the case thrown out (Singer was not named as a defendant in the case). The ruling stated Dickinson's lawyers could seek answers only as to whether the denials were made maliciously, and Cosby and Singer could assert
attorney–client privilege Attorney–client privilege or lawyer–client privilege is the name given to the common law concept of legal professional privilege in the United States. Attorney–client privilege is " client's right to refuse to disclose and to prevent any ...
and refuse to answer some questions. Singer was scheduled to be deposed November 19 in Los Angeles, with Cosby's deposition occurring on November 23 in Boston. On November 12, a California appeals court temporarily halted an order requiring them to testify. Both parties are required to provide information by the end of the month to state their cases as to why or why not the deposition should proceed. "We are confident that once the Court of Appeals hears full argument on the issues it will allow the deposition of Mr. Cosby and his attorney to go forward," Bloom wrote in an email. Singer announced that he was planning on "pursuing claims against Janice Dickinson and Lisa Bloom after I prevail in this action." Dickinson later amended her complaint to name Singer as a co-defendant, alleging that after she made her allegations on CNN, he prepared four
press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...
s denying that Cosby drugged and raped her, and calling the woman's allegations "fabricated" and "an outrageous defamatory lie". Singer was later replaced as Cosby's counsel by Christopher Tayback of Quinn Emanuel. In February 2016, Judge Weintraub granted a motion by the defense to dismiss Singer as a defendant in the lawsuit. On March 29, Weintraub denied Cosby's motion to dismiss the case, allowing the case to proceed to a jury trial. Shortly after the ruling, Dickinson said, "I want Bill Cosby in court, I want him to stand under oath." On November 21, 2017, in a major blow to both Cosby and Singer, a California appeals court reversed two other courts' decisions to remove Singer as a co-defendant and added him back. In their ruling they stated that Singer and Cosby's anti-
SLAPP Strategic lawsuits against public participation (also known as SLAPP suits or intimidation lawsuits), or strategic litigation against public participation, are lawsuits intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with t ...
motion was meritless. In March 2018, after a last-ditch effort to get the case against Cosby and Singer dismissed, the
California Supreme Court The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...
declined to intervene and hear arguments on the case. In July, 2019, Bill Cosby's insurance company, AIG, settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount."


Chloe Goins

On October 6, 2015, Goins filed a lawsuit against Cosby. In her complaint, she stated that Cosby had assaulted her, causing her to suffer "emotional distress", "psychiatric trauma", and impairment of her education. Goins's lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, said his client's number-one priority was that the truth come out and Cosby be criminally prosecuted. Singer stated he would provide documentary evidence to the LAPD that established Cosby was in New York on August 9, 2008, the date of the alleged incident. Although the prosecutor's office had considered filing criminal charges, the charges were dropped because the statute of limitations had expired and a lack of sufficient evidence. In February 2016, Goins dismissed her lawsuit without prejudice. In May 2016, she refiled the suit, adding Hefner as a co-defendant. The judge denied Cosby's request to dismiss and set the trial to start sometime in June 2018.


Renita Hill

Hill claims that Cosby gave her a bit part on television, funded her college education and pledged to assist her career, all while sporadically sexually abusing her from 1983 to 1987. In October 2015, she filed a defamation suit against Cosby, Singer and Camille Cosby, alleging defamation,
false light In US law, false light is a tort concerning privacy that is similar to the tort of defamation. The privacy laws in the United States include a non-public person's right to protection from publicity that creates an untrue or misleading impre ...
, and
intentional infliction of emotional distress Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED; sometimes called the tort of outrage) is a common law tort that allows individuals to recover for severe emotional distress caused by another individual who intentionally or recklessly inflicted ...
. Cosby's attorneys removed the case from state to federal court and moved the court to dismiss the suit in late December 2015, arguing that Cosby's denials were opinions protected under the
First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
. Hill's attorneys responded that Cosby's denials were published facts and hence are defamatory and not covered by First Amendment protections. The U.S. District Court dismissed the suit "with prejudice" in January 2016, meaning the suit cannot be re-filed. Judge Arthur Schwab decided that statements made by Cosby and his attorneys were opinions protected by the First Amendment. In April 2016, Hill filed an appeal with the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * Ea ...
.


Kristina Ruehli

On November 9, 2015, Ruehli filed a defamation lawsuit against Cosby for denying her claims of rape. Ruehli's allegations against Cosby date back the furthest, with claims that he assaulted her in 1965. She claimed Cosby's vehement denials leveled against the numerous accusers in 2014 were grounds for defamation. Her complaint states, in part, "It is one thing for an accused sexual assailant to remain silent and allow the legal process, or public opinion, to run its course, but it is quite another for him to unleash his agents to deny that he attacked the plaintiff and other women, to invite others to republish his statements, and to brand them as unreliable liars." In an account from ''The New York Times'', Ruehli has dropped her lawsuit without prejudice as of June 24, 2016.


Katherine McKee

On December 22, 2015, McKee, a former girlfriend of the late entertainer
Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...
, sued Cosby for defamation over claims he and his attorney made about her allegation of being raped by Cosby in a
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
hotel room in the early 1970s. Judge Mastroianni dismissed the lawsuit on February 16, 2017, on the basis of the landmark
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
case ''
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ''New York Times Co. v. Sullivan'', 376 U.S. 254 (1964), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's freedom of speech protections limit the ability of American public officials to sue for ...
'' in 1964, which required a higher standard to show the intent of malice towards a
public figure A public figure is a person who has achieved notoriety, prominence or fame within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own, In the context of defamation actions (libel and s ...
to qualify as defamatory, and that given that her lawsuit, McKee was a limited public figure. Mckee appealed, but a federal appeals court refused to reverse Mastroianni's decision to dismiss the lawsuit on December 18, 2017. On October 8, 2017, McKee's appeal was again dismissed; Judge Sandra Lynch cited, "McKee took concerted steps meant to influence the public's perception of whether Cosby was, in fact, a sexual predator," thus rendering herself a public figure. In January 2018, The
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts in the following United St ...
refused to rehear her case in a full court hearing. On petition to the Supreme Court, the Court declined to hear the case in February 2019, re-asserting that the ''New York Times Co.'' decision was properly applied at all levels.


Judith Huth

In December 2014, Huth filed a lawsuit alleging sexual assault in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old. It was one of two active lawsuits against Cosby directly alleging sexual assault. Even though the incident occurred more than forty years previously, California laws allow alleged child sexual abuse victims to bring their cases forward as an adult. Cosby countersued both Huth and her attorney Marc Strecker for legal fees. Cosby's attorney contended Huth and her attorney engaged in an extortion attempt before filing a suit. Singer's claim was made in a notice of
demurrer A demurrer is a pleading in a lawsuit that objects to or challenges a pleading filed by an opposing party. The word ''demur'' means "to object"; a ''demurrer'' is the document that makes the objection. Lawyers informally define a demurrer as a de ...
. He also sought sanctions against Huth and Strecker. On August 4, 2015, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Cosby to give a sworn deposition in the lawsuit. Another judge refused to dismiss Huth's suit against Cosby and required him to provide a deposition, which was held on October9 in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and lasted 7.5 hours; no further details have been made public. The deposition was sealed until at least December 22, 2015. Allred announced that she would be seeking to depose Cosby again. Huth was scheduled to give her deposition for Cosby's attorneys on January 29, 2016. However, on March 30, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig D. Karlan granted a temporary delay of Cosby's second deposition and any further depositions of Huth. Judge Karlan did, however, rule that both sides could continue depositions of other people. Allred said she and partner John West planned to take depositions from other women who claim they were abused by Cosby when they were underage, and others. Allred was scheduled to give a deposition of Hill, who claimed Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old, on April 8. Allred also announced that she would be deposing
Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...
sometime in April. On April 14, 2016, Cosby's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss Huth's lawsuit claiming that she changed her timeline regarding her "delayed discovery" of psychological injury or illness related to the alleged abuse. On April 26, Judge Karlan refused to dismiss the majority of Huth's lawsuit; however, he did dismiss a "negligent infliction of emotional distress" claim. "The court is not, at this time, willing to dismiss plaintiff's potentially meritorious claims against defendant based upon mistakes attributable to her former counsel," Karlan wrote. Allred said "We are very happy that the Court agreed and we will continue to vigorously fight for a just result for our client." Cosby's spokesperson, Monique Pressley, did not immediately comment on the decision. On September 20, it was revealed that one of the thirteen prosecution witnesses in the criminal trial was alleged Cosby victim Margie Shapiro. Allred filed a motion in the Huth civil case to have the deposition of Shapiro postponed until after the criminal trial. Allred stated she believed the defense would try to use the deposition against Shapiro to find discrepancies in the upcoming trial. Cosby attorney Angela Agrusa opposed this motion. On June 27, 2017, Judge Karlan set a trial start date for July 30, 2018. Two months after Cosby was released from a Pennsylvania prison, the case was revived, and his lawyer said he would continue to plead the 5th. The Los Angeles Superior Court has decided that civil trial could go forward with a tentative date of April 18, 2022. On March 16, Cosby's lawyers filed court papers that alleged that the statute violated the constitution's
ex post facto law An ''ex post facto'' law (from ) is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law. In criminal law, it may Criminalization, crim ...
. Two days later, Huth's and Cosby's lawyers had a heated meeting to decide the fate of the lawsuit. Defense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said that they haven't made a decision yet but they were looking for a fair trial somewhere in May. The trial then began setting up the jury on the week of May 23rd to 28th, and the trial itself is expected to take two weeks to finish. Opening arguments were scheduled for June 1st. On June 7th 2022, Huth testified to a jury in the civil trial, recalling the events that happened in the Playboy Mansion. Notably, photos of Cosby with a beard posing with her dates back to 1975, meaning that the incident occurred on that year. A day later, Cosby denied these events, saying "I don't know Ms. Huth". He was not expected to attend the trial. On June 21, 2022, the California civil jury ruled in favor of Huth, with Cosby ordered to pay $500,000 and no punitive damages.


Lili Bernard

On October 14, 2021, Actress Lili Bernard filed a lawsuit under the state of New Jersey 2 year look back period, which allows victims of sexual assault to sue regardless of when the offense took place. In her lawsuit she claims that Cosby had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions with the most serious allegation happening in August 1990 in which she claims that Cosby lured her to the Trump Taj Mahal resort in Atlantic City, NJ with a promise to help advance her career but instead, drugged and raped her. She then goes on to say that after she woke up the next morning, Cosby threatened her and said that if she were to go to the police, that he would sue her for defamation and would destroy her career. She is seeking $225 million in damages which includes $25 million per sexual assault and another $125 million for punitive damages. Cosby through his spokesman Andrew Wyatt, has vehemently denied her accusations and has said he would fight the 2 year look back window claiming it to be unconstitutional.


Related litigation


Suit against Cosby attorney

On November 16, 2015, it was reported that accusers Green and Bowman filed a joint lawsuit against John Schmitt, one of Bill Cosby's lawyers. In November 2014, Schmitt released a statement reading, "Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment." This statement was also posted to the front page of Cosby's official website. Green and Bowman contend that this widely circulated statement amounted to branding them as liars, resulting in emotional distress and other damages.


Insurance coverage dispute

AIG Property Casualty Company, Cosby's homeowner's insurance, has tentatively agreed to pick up Cosby's legal costs for the Green, et al. case in Massachusetts, as well as for Dickinson's case in California, over whether these women were defamed when Cosby's representatives denied the occurrence of sexual misconduct. But the insurer has also filed lawsuits related to both cases, aiming for
declaratory relief A declaratory judgment, also called a declaration, is the legal determination of a court that resolves legal uncertainty for the litigants. It is a form of legally binding preventive by which a party involved in an actual or possible legal mat ...
that it is not responsible. Cosby's homeowners insurance does cover him for "personal injury", which is defined in his policy as including "bodily injury"; "shock, emotional distress, mental injury"; "invasion of privacy"; and "defamation, libel, or slander". However, the policy contains an exclusion for "sexual, physical or mental abuse", setting the stage for a potentially novel legal battle over whether a defamation claim about the denial of sexual abuse is covered. In September 2015, Cosby filed a motion to either dismiss AIG's lawsuit or put it on hold. Cosby's attorneys argued that AIG was acting against Cosby's best interests and that fighting both the lawsuits from the accusers as well as from his insurance company would drain his resources. On October 9, 2015, AIG filed a response, calling Cosby's motion "bizarre and possibly unique in the entire history of American jurisprudence", criticizing Cosby's lawyers for referencing irrelevant case law from other states, and saying that if the court sided with Cosby, it "would amount to a wholesale abandonment of this Court's jurisdiction, all for no apparent reason." On November 13, 2015, California Federal Judge Beverly O'Connell granted Cosby's motion to dismiss in the Dickinson case and concluded that AIG had a duty to defend. In her opinion, O'Connell looked at the "arising out of" exclusion noted above and declares the meaning is ambiguous. "The Court finds that both Plaintiff's broad interpretation and Defendant's narrow interpretation of 'arising out of' are reasonable... The sexual misconduct exclusion could reasonably be read to require that Dickinson's claims merely relate to sexual misconduct, or that Dickinson's claims be proximately caused by the sexual misconduct", she wrote. Since ambiguous terms are interpreted in favor of finding coverage, Cosby prevailed. O'Connell gave a second independent reason for finding in Cosby's favor. She looked at the Dickinson complaint and concluded that there are allegations independent of sexual misconduct. "For example, allegations that Defendant 'intentionally drugged' Dickinson 'even though he knew that she had been in a rehab center for addiction a few months before' could reasonably be interpreted as independent of sexual misconduct, and therefore, within the Policies' coverage... Similarly, the Dickinson Complaint alleges that Defendant's statements contain numerous implications about Dickinson, including the implication that 'Dickinson has copied the claims made publicly by other women against Defendant' and 'the implication that Ms. Dickinson's rape disclosure is a lie and that therefore she is a liar'", she wrote. As courts impose coverage in a "mixed" action, Cosby prevailed here as well but this ruling does not apply to the Massachusetts case, where AIG and Cosby are still fighting to determine who is liable. AIG plans to appeal this ruling. Judge, Mark G. Mastroianni, denied Cosby's bid to dismiss or pause the AIG suit on December 14, 2015. This judge, also responsible for the Green et al. defamation suit, denied AIG's motion to pause that case.


Gloria Allred vs. Cobb-Marietta Coliseum, ''et al.''

On November 18, 2015, Allred announced she was suing
Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta. Along with ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
; Cobb-Marietta Coliseum; and Michael Taormina for violating her First Amendment rights when she was denied entry to Cosby's stand-up comedy performance on May 2, 2015, at the
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a performing arts venue located in the Cumberland/Galleria edge city, in northwest Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The $145 million facility celebrated its grand opening September 15, 2007, with a concert ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. Allred participated in a protest outside of the venue, but had also purchased a ticket to the show. Nevertheless, local police officers told her she would be arrested for trespassing if she entered the theater. Allred said Cosby's team coordinated with security and police to deny entry to individuals they had placed on a list of "agitators". Cobb-Marietta Coliseum is the name of the company that organized the show, and Taormina is its managing director. The police officers are employed by Cobb County. "Performers should not be able to commandeer a police force (as Bill Cosby's representatives appeared to do) in order to exclude individuals from the performance because they have a different viewpoint than the performer has", Allred said. She sought a court order to prohibit what she calls the venue's "censorship policy on admissions". On September 8, 2016, Allred reached a settlement with the defense. They agreed to pay Allred $40,000, along with a promise not to block any future customers from attending any public event held at the Coliseum.


Andrea Constand vs. Bruce Castor

On October 26, 2015, Andrea Constand filed a federal lawsuit against former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor for defamation. Constand is being represented by her original 2006 ''Constand vs Cosby'' attorney Dolores Troiani. Cosby's lead criminal lawyer in Pennsylvania is fighting a subpoena related to his $2,500 donation to the ex-prosecutor who says he had promised Cosby he would never be charged. Lawyer Brian McMonagle co-hosted a political fundraiser for former District Attorney Bruce Castor early last year but said it took place months before he joined Cosby's defense team in September. Constand's lawyer now wants McMonagle to detail any ties between his office and Castor, including phone records and documents. She wants Cosby to do the same. At a pretrial hearing on April 15, 2016, a judge ruled that Constand is entitled to any documents shared between Castor and Cosby's attorneys. In January 2019, the two sides reached a confidential settlement.


Bill Cosby vs. Beverly Johnson

On December 21, 2015, Cosby sued supermodel
Beverly Johnson Beverly Ann Johnson (born October 13, 1952) is an American model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Johnson rose to fame when she became the first African-American model to appear on the cover of American ''Vogue'' in August 1974. In 1975, Jo ...
for defamation, claiming that she told a false story in a ''Vanity Fair'' article. This was the first time Cosby had sued a woman who has claimed assault without being sued himself first. Cosby's lawsuit accuses Johnson of lying about the incident in which she says Cosby spiked a cup of cappuccino with an unknown drug. Realizing what was happening, Johnson said she screamed and cursed at him several times before Cosby dragged her out and hailed a cab for her. (No sexual contact by Cosby was alleged in Johnson's version of the event.) Allegedly, she also repeated the story in subsequent interviews and in her memoirs, released on August 25, 2015. Cosby's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction preventing the model from repeating her claims and requests they be removed from Johnson's memoir, which was released in August. On February 19, 2016, Cosby filed a motion to dismiss his lawsuit against Johnson. His attorney Monique Pressley wrote in an email that Cosby made the move to focus on his defense in a criminal case in Pennsylvania. Pressley wrote that Cosby plans to re-file the case against Johnson before the statute of limitations expires. No such refiling occurred.


Bill Cosby vs. Andrea Constand, Constand's mother, Constand's attorneys and ''National Enquirer''

On February 1, 2016, Cosby filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Andrea Constand, her mother Gianna Constand, her current lawyer Dolores Troiani, her former lawyer Bebe Kivitz and the publisher of the ''National Enquirer''. Cosby filed the lawsuit a day before the February2 criminal court hearing that included testimony from Troiani. The lawsuit seeks full repayment plus interest on "the substantial financial benefit". The filing states "Despite being expressly prohibited from disclosing such information to anyone, Andrea Constand volunteered to participate and disclosed such information to the district attorney and others." Troiani has maintained that the settlement agreement barred Constand only from initiating criminal proceedings against Cosby and not from cooperating if authorities came to her first. Prosecutors introduced a copy of the agreement, redacted to hide all but a single sentence, at Cosby's pretrial hearing this month. That line read: "Constand agrees that she will not initiate any criminal complaint against Cosby arising from the underlying facts of this case." The lawsuit currently remains under seal and Cosby's lawyers have declined to comment on the nature of the allegations in it. On July 28, 2016, Cosby filed a motion to dismiss his entire lawsuit against all the defendants.


Bruce Castor vs. Andrea Constand

On October 20, 2017, Bruce Castor's attorney, James Beasley Jr., announced that he plans to file a lawsuit against Andrea Constand for damages suffered as a result of the election in which he lost to Kevin Steele who is now prosecuting Cosby for the same acts Castor would not prosecute him for. In his suit he claims that Constand conspired with Steele to help him win the election so Cosby could be prosecuted. Constand's attorney, Jeffrey McCarron, responded by saying "If his described basis is the reason for the lawsuit, then we do not expect it will last very long."


Reactions


Defenses of Cosby

In 2014,
Camille Cosby Camille Olivia Cosby ( Hanks; born March 20, 1944) is an American television producer, philanthropist, and the wife of comedian Bill Cosby. The character of Clair Huxtable from ''The Cosby Show'' was based on her. Cosby has avoided public life, b ...
, who married Cosby in 1964 when she was 19, released a statement supporting her husband, describing him as a victim of unvetted accusations: "The man I met, and fell in love with, and whom I continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work. He is a kind man... and a wonderful husband, father and friend." In a January 2015 ''Time'' magazine article about why black women should stop defending Cosby, actress
Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) (née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby S ...
is quoted defending him: "What you're seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it's orchestrated. I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy. And it's a legacy that is so important to the culture." In a July 2015 ''USA Today'' article about how the actors of ''The Cosby Show'' responded to the allegations,
Keshia Knight Pulliam Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, and landed her breakthrough role as Rudy Huxtable, on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), which earned her a nomination for ...
of the cast stated "All I can speak to is the man I know and I love the fact that he has been such an example ndyou can't take away from the great that he has done, the millions and millions of dollars he has given back to colleges and education, and just what he did with the Cosby Show and how groundbreaking that was. The Cosbys, we were the first family that no matter what race, religion, you saw yourself in", further addressing the charges against Cosby. "At the end of the day they are allegations... I don't have that story to tell." In September 2015, comedian
Damon Wayans Damon Kyle Wayans Sr. (; born September 4, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Wayans performed as a comedian and actor throughout the 1980s, including a year long stint on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live.' ...
attacked the accusers, calling them "un-rape-able", and defended Cosby by stating "It's a money hustle." In December 2015, actor and comedian
Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom '' Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film '' Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jef ...
suggested that Cosby was the victim of a conspiracy to destroy his image and that several other prominent African-American men had been victims of similar conspiracies. ''Chicago Tribune'' columnist
Clarence Page Clarence Page (born June 2, 1947) is an American journalist, syndicated columnist, and senior member of the ''Chicago Tribune'' editorial board. Early years Page was born in Dayton, Ohio, and attended Middletown High School in Middletown where ...
writes that the most popular conspiracy theory regarding the allegations involves Cosby being " unishedby the powers-that-be for isattempts to buy NBC in the 1990s". Page wrote that the conspiracy does not explain why the conspirators waited so long to bring forth the accusations, with the scandal unfolding many years after Cosby abandoned the purchase.
Dick Gregory Richard Claxton Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights leader, business owner and entrepreneur, and vegetarian activist. His writings were best sellers. Gregory became popular among the Afric ...
was a supporter of this theory.


Defenders change their minds

Two notable people who previously defended Cosby and believed in his innocence, changed their minds. American actress and talk show host
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
and
Joseph C. Phillips Joseph Connor Phillips (born January 17, 1962) is an American actor, writer, and conservative Christian commentator. He is best known for his role as Martin Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', and as Justus Ward on the ...
(a ''Cosby Show'' regular for three years) each made public statements on July 15, 2015. Goldberg said "If this is to be tried in the court of public opinion, I got to say all of the information that's out there kind of points to guilt." In an interview, Goldberg had a message for Cosby: "It looks bad, Bill. Either speak up or shut up." Goldberg had received threats for staunchly standing by Cosby. Goldberg, in the form of a question, referred to Cosby as a "serial rapist" and questioned why he was still on the streets. Phillips was more direct in a separate comment from Goldberg, saying "Of course Bill Cosby is guilty!"


Obama reaction

In July 2015 PAVE: Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment, a nonprofit group focusing on sexual assault prevention, launched a WhiteHouse.gov petition, calling upon President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
to revoke Cosby's
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
(which Cosby received from President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in July 2002). Later the same month, in response to a question at a news conference, President Obama said:


Cosby's response

After Tamara Green, one of the witnesses in Andrea Constand's case, re-told her story to ''Newsweek'' in February 2014, Cosby's publicist David Brokaw issued a statement at the time calling Green's story a "10-year discredited accusation that proved to be nothing at the time, and is still nothing." When the sexual assault claims against Cosby exploded at the end of 2014, denials by Brokaw and other Cosby representatives became even more vehement, with lawyer Martin Singer calling all the allegations "unsubstantiated, fantastical stories...
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
have escalated past the point of absurdity". When Dickinson came forward in November 2014 to accuse Cosby of raping her in 1982, Singer issued a denial on behalf of Cosby, saying, "Janice Dickinson's story accusing Bill Cosby of rape is a lie." Around the time of these interviews, Cosby's lawyers began sending sharply worded letters to publications that wrote about the sexual assault allegations, threatening them with legal action and using phrases like "proceed at your own peril" if they published certain stories. News outlets published the threatening letters from Cosby's attorneys. In November 2014, one of Cosby's lawyers, John Schmitt, released a statement reading, "Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment." This statement was also posted to the front page of Cosby's official website. Subsequent to his arraignment on three felony charges based on the Constand case, Cosby tweeted the following message on December 30, 2015, using his Twitter account: "Friends and fans, Thank You ."


Interviews

Cosby was asked directly about Buress's comments and the resulting fallout in two November 2014 interviews, which were originally intended to be about a new art exhibit at the Smithsonian that featured his private collection of African American art. In an NPR interview on November 15, 2014, reporter
Scott Simon Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952) is an American journalist and the host of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' on NPR. Early life Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons. ...
said: "This question gives me no pleasure, Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days." Cosby became silent, leading to an awkward radio exchange in which Simon verbally described Cosby's actions to listeners: "you're shaking your head no." Simon continued asking Cosby to comment on the allegations before finally wrapping up the interview with no further communication from Cosby. In a November 6, 2014, interview with Associated Press reporter Brett Zongker, Cosby appeared visibly rattled by unexpected Buress questions and told Zongker, "No, no, we don't answer that." In the following recorded minutes, Cosby repeatedly attempted to get Zongker to confirm that the AP would edit out the Buress questions, implying that Zongker's "integrity" and ability to be a "serious reporter" would be compromised if that portion of the interview was not "scuttled". When Zongker failed to guarantee this request, Cosby turned to his off-camera publicist David Brokaw and told him to get on the phone with Zongker's editors "immediately". When the interview was first released on November 10, the Buress questions had indeed been omitted. However, after the allegations continued to gain new traction, including a new accusation from Janice Dickinson, the AP decided to release footage of the full exchange on November 19. In a November 21, 2014, ''Florida Today'' interview, Cosby stated: "I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact check. People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos."


Fallout

Numerous institutions, colleges, universities, businesses, and broadcast networks have severed ties with Cosby as a result of the allegations. Cosby's honorary degrees have been the subject of controversy. It is estimated that the comedian received more than 60 honorary degrees between 1985 and 2014, many of which were conferred after Cosby admitted to funneling money to mistress Shawn Upshaw in the 1990s, was accused of sexually assaulting Lachele Covington in 2000, and faced a sexual abuse lawsuit in 2005 by Andrea Constand with 13 other alleged victims prepared to come forward. Nevertheless, Cosby continued to collect honorary degrees, up until Boston University granted the honor to him in May 2014. The University of Arizona was still in discussions as late as November 2014 to award a degree to Cosby in 2015. However, as the Cosby controversy continued to unfold, there was an increasing movement to draw attention to sexual violence on college campuses, with growing criticism that the bureaucracy of higher education led to a culture where sexual crimes were not taken seriously. ''New York'' magazine referred to the movement in 2014 as a "revolution against campus sexual assault". It became so prevalent that Vice President Joe Biden released an op-ed in 2015 to combat the issue. It was against this backdrop that numerous colleges and universities began to sever their ties with Cosby, with an unprecedented number of them rescinding his honorary degrees. When announcing their condemnation of Cosby, many universities used the opportunity to voice strong no-tolerance policies of sexual violence of any kind. Brown University said Cosby's alleged actions were "particularly troubling as our university community continues to confront the very real challenges of sexual violence on our campus and in society at large." In Baylor University's statement announcing Cosby's rescinded degree, it added, "Through the efforts of our
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
Office, we are encouraging victims to report acts of interpersonal and sexual violence, and making sure those suffering from the effects of such acts are provided the necessary support and services to feel safe and be academically successful." After more than 20 institutions rescinded Cosby's degrees, several others refused to do so, often citing their policy never to rescind anyone's degree for any reason. Most of these schools nevertheless included statements abhorring Cosby's conduct. University of Pennsylvania received some of the greatest backlash when it announced it would not rescind Cosby's honorary degree because of university policy. It made no comment to the fact that Penn previously had rescinded two other honorary degrees. ''Philadelphia'' magazine published an op-ed titled "Penn, Are You Serious About Not Revoking Bill Cosby's Honorary Degree?" summarizing "On a campus where 27 percent of women report being sexually assaulted, the hesitation is unacceptable." University of Pennsylvania eventually rescinded Cosby's honorary degree in February 2018.


Institutions sever ties

In November 2014, colleges and universities with ties to Cosby began removing their affiliations with him. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of Cosby's alma maters, asked Cosby to step down as an honorary co-chairman of the university's fundraising campaign. The Berklee College of Music, which had previously awarded Cosby with an honorary degree, got rid of a scholarship that it offered in Cosby's name. High Point University in North Carolina also pulled Cosby from its advisory board, and Freed–Hardeman University rescinded its invitation for Cosby to appear at an annual dinner in December. On December 4, 2014, the United States Navy took the rare step of revoking Cosby's honorary title of chief petty officer, which he had received in 2011. The Navy released a statement saying the "allegations against Mr. Cosby are very serious and are in conflict with the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment." In December 2014, amid pressure to cut long-term ties with Temple University, Cosby resigned from the board of trustees. On December 14, 2014, Spelman College indefinitely suspended its Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship, named after Cosby's wife. The college said it would restore the endowed professorship when its "original goals can again be met", but after Cosby's 2005 deposition became public in July 2015, Spelman discontinued the professorship entirely. By the end of 2014, Creative Artists Agency dropped Cosby as a client, leaving him without a Hollywood agent. On July 7, 2015, Walt Disney World removed a statue of Bill Cosby that had been featured as part of the Hollywood Studios park's "Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza". In mid-July 2015, after enormous public pressure to remove art work owned by Cosby, the Smithsonian's
National Museum of African Art The National Museum of African Art is the Smithsonian Institution's African art museum, located on the National Mall of the United States capital. Its collections include 9,000 works of traditional and contemporary African art from both Sub-S ...
decided to post a disclaimer reminding visitors that an exhibition featuring Cosby's art collection is about the artists, not a tribute to the embattled comedian. The critically panned show, which had been planned since 2012 and partly underwritten by $716,000 in tax-deductible donations to the museum by Bill and Camille Cosby (who sits on the NMAA's board), is titled "Conversations" and includes 62 works lent by the couple. It ran until January 24, 2016. On July 20, 2015, it was announced that Cosby would no longer appear in the upcoming documentary ''Painted Down'', about the history of African American stuntmen in film and television. Cosby is credited with helping to create the Black Stuntmen's Association in 1967. Producer Nonie Robinson claimed, "We were the last project standing behind him," but said that pulling him from the documentary was "the right thing to do in light of the recent court deposition being made public." At the same time, The Black Stuntmen's Association removed a tribute to Cosby on its website. On July 23, 2015, Simon & Schuster confirmed to the Associated Press that it would not be releasing a paperback version of the Cosby-approved 2014 biography ''Cosby: His Life and Times'', which gained criticism for not addressing the then-few public sexual assault allegations against Cosby. The publisher also pulled celebrity endorsements for the book after David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld reportedly asked to distance themselves from the biography. On July 23, 2015, according to the ''Philadelphia City Paper'', a Father's Day mural depicting Cosby,
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
, and
Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...
, was scheduled for removal. It was painted over after being defaced with graffiti reading "rapist" and "dude with ludes", referencing the recently unsealed 2005 deposition in which the comedian admitted to obtaining Quaaludes to give to women with the intention of having sex with them. The
Mural Arts Program Mural Arts Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that supports the creation of public murals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1986 as Mural Arts Program, the organization was renamed in 2016. Having ushered more than 3,000 murals into ...
was already intending to remove the mural, but rapidly accelerated the removal due to pressure. On August 17, 2015, New York University's free 12-week film program for high school students cut all ties with Cosby. NYU had previously named the program "William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop". NYU has since removed Cosby's name from the Future Filmmakers program and deleted the web page containing program information. "The workshops will be continuing, but Cosby's name has been removed... in light of recent events," NYU spokesperson Matt Nagel told ''NYU Local'', in an August 28 email. On September 2, 2015, a portrait of Cosby made from seeds sparked outrage from attendees at the Minnesota State Fair held at the Agriculture Horticulture Building in Minnesota. Artist Nick Rindo made the crop portrait of Cosby from a type of seeds called
rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...
. He accompanied the Cosby portrait with a small card, explaining that it was made from rapeseed, but one of the staff taped over the word rapeseed. Due to the outrage, it was taken down after a day of display. On September 11, 2015, Central State University, a historically black college to which Cosby has donated over $2 million, officially permanently removed Cosby's name from the Camille O. & William H. Cosby Communications Center and renamed it the CSU Communications Center. The school had been temporarily covering Cosby's name since July while it made a final decision. On October 7, 2015, Temple University announced that it would be further distancing itself from Cosby by replacing the vacated seat he resigned from in December 2014 with Temple alumnus and NBC correspondent
Tamron Hall Tamron Hall (born September 16, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist and television talk show host. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award. Hall was formerly a n ...
. The board was expected to vote on this on October 13, 2015. Hall was expected to take her seat on the board in December. On November 19, 2015, Central High School's alumni board voted to remove Cosby from its Hall of Fame. Board president Jeffrey Muldawer said the decision was made to "eliminate an issue" that was distracting from its mission. He says some board members did not feel comfortable holding Cosby up as a role model for children. Muldawer says Cosby's removal does not reflect an opinion about the allegations. Cosby attended Central only for part of his freshman year. He was inducted in 1998. On January 20, 2016, Hampton University, a historically black college, announced the removal of Cosby from its board of trustees due to allegations of multiple sexual assaults: "For decades, Bill Cosby supported Hampton University as an institution of higher education, including serving on its board of trustees. He no longer serves on the board." On March 31, 2016, the
National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
, announced that they would be addressing Cosby's sexual assault allegations in its exhibit. Initially the museum said it would not, but after enormous public pressure it changed its decision. The museum, which opened September 24, included the cover of a comedy album by the Philadelphia-native Cosby and a comic book from his pioneering TV drama ''
I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
'' as part of its exhibit on black entertainers and artists. In January 2017,
Ben's Chili Bowl Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located at 1213 U Street Corridor, U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.), Lincoln Theatre, in the U Street Corridor (a.k.a. Cardozo/Shaw neighborhood) of Northwest, W ...
painted over a large mural of Bill Cosby, Barack Obama and other celebrities. The restaurant's owners stated the makeover had nothing to do with the allegations against Cosby. Cosby and
Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...
were expelled from the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
"in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct" on May 1, 2018.


Rescinding of honorary degrees

Many academic institutions have rescinded honorary degrees they awarded to Cosby. Most of them cited Cosby's 2005 deposition. Several of these institutions had never rescinded an honorary degree before, or only once before. Fordham University rescinded Cosby's honorary degree, making it the university's first in history. Fordham said "The University has taken this extraordinary step in light of Mr. Cosby's now-public court depositions that confirm many of the allegations made against him by numerous women" and that "Mr. Cosby was willing to drug and rape women for his sexual gratification, and further damage those same women's reputations and careers to obscure his guilt, hurt not only his victims, but all women, and is beyond the pale." The next day Cosby's attorney John P. Schmitt sent a letter to Fordham University calling its statement "so irresponsible as to shock the conscience", and saying "The mischaracterization of Mr. Cosby's testimony is so egregious that one can only conclude that it was written by one either unfamiliar with the testimony or determined deliberately to misrepresent Mr. Cosby's words." Schmitt criticized the university for an apparent effort to lend "gratuituous support" to defamation suits pending against Cosby, citing what he called the school's unfounded claim that the entertainer has a "longtime strategy of denigrating the reputations of women who accused him of such actions". Also rescinding degrees were Marquette University, the University of San Francisco, Brown University, Baylor University, Lehigh University, Goucher College, Tufts University, Franklin & Marshall College, Amherst College, Springfield College, Muhlenberg College, Drexel University, Bryant University, The University of Pittsburgh, Drew University, California State University, City University of New York, Swarthmore College, Boston University, Occidental College, Oberlin College,Statement on Rescinding Honorary Degree
, Oberlin College
Haverford College,Pennsylvania's Haverford College rescinds Cosby's honorary degree
Haverford College
University of Pennsylvania, Wilkes University, and Yale University. A number of universities and educational institutions emphasized that they conferred honorary degrees on Cosby based on information known at the time of the award, and while some said they deplored recent revelations about Cosby's conduct, they lacked a policy or mechanism for revoking the honor. Other colleges refused comment, or said decisions were still pending. As of November 2015, Cosby maintained valid honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music; Boston College; Carnegie Mellon University; Colby College; Colgate University; Cooper Union; Delaware State University; Fashion Institute of Technology; George Washington University; Hampton University; Howard University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; North Carolina A&T State University; Ohio State University; Old Dominion University; Paine College; Pepperdine University; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Rust College; Sisseton Wahpeton College; Talladega College; Temple University; College of William & Mary; University of Cincinnati; University of Connecticut; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Notre Dame; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of South Carolina; University of Southern California; Virginia Commonwealth University; Wesleyan University; and West Chester University.


Broadcast networks cancel shows

On November 18, 2014, Netflix postponed a Cosby stand-up comedy special after accusations surfaced that Cosby had sexually assaulted
Janice Dickinson Janice Doreen Dickinson (born February 16, 1955)As per Dickinson in NNDB aJanice Dickinson profilegives February 15, 1955, noting, "Although Dickinson has maintained in several interviews and her autobiography ''No Lifeguard on Duty'' that she ...
in 1982. Reruns of ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' and other shows associated with Cosby have also been cancelled. On November 19, 2014,
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...
and
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
both ended their relationships with Cosby: TV Land announced that it was pulling reruns from its schedule and removing clips of the show from its website, while NBC scrapped its plans to develop a brand new sitcom starring Cosby. In December 2014, the
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
-owned Aspire removed the two series ''
I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
'' and ''
The Bill Cosby Show ''The Bill Cosby Show'' is an American sitcom television series, that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Bill ...
'' from its lineup. In July 2015, broadcast network
Bounce TV Bounce TV is an American digital multicast television network owned by Katz Broadcasting, a subsidiary of E. W. Scripps Company. Promoted as "the first 24/7 digital multicast broadcast network created to target African Americans", the channel fe ...
pulled reruns, and
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
's Centric (another Viacom unit) ceased airing reruns. The show still is available on
Hulu Plus Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series l ...
.The Cosby Show
Hulu Plus Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series l ...
. Retrieved January 19, 2016
Although the series returned to Bounce TV in December 2016, the series was pulled from the network again in April 2018 following Cosby's guilty verdict.
Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
also pulled reruns of ''
Little Bill ''Little Bill'' is an American animated educational television series created by Bill Cosby. It is based on the ''Little Bill'' book series, written by Cosby with illustrations by Varnette P. Honeywood. Cosby also composed some of the theme mu ...
'' from its schedule following Cosby's allegations in 2014.


Legislative changes


Ontario sex assault plan

In March 2015, Ontario Premier
Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...
announced a new plan titled "It's Never Okay", which includes an unprecedented $41 million budget to combat sexual violence and harassment: "The new plan was drafted in response to high-profile incidents that remain under investigation, including sexual-assault allegations against members of the University of Ottawa men's hockey team,
Jian Ghomeshi Jian Ghomeshi (born June 9, 1967) is a British-born Persian-Canadian broadcaster, writer, musician, producer and former CBC personality. From 1990 to 2000, he was a vocalist and drummer in the Thornhill-based folk-pop band Moxy Früvous. In ...
, and Bill Cosby."


Nevada sex assault law

On May 26, 2015, Nevada Governor
Brian Sandoval Brian Edward Sandoval (; born August 5, 1963) is an American politician, academic administrator, and former federal judge who served as the 29th Governor of Nevada from 2011 to 2019. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Sandoval began ...
signed a bill that extends the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of rape from four years to 20 years. Lise Lotte Lublin, who accused Cosby of drugging her in 1989 in a Las Vegas, Nevada hotel, testified in support of the new law and asked Nevada Assembly Member Irene Bustamante Adams to introduce bill AB212.


Colorado sex assault bill

On September 15, 2015, Cosby accusers Beth Ferrier, Heidi Thomas, and Helen Hayes met with State Representative
Rhonda Fields Rhonda Marshall Fields is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Colorado. She represents Colorado's 28th Senate district, District 28 in the Colorado Senate. During the 2020 reapportionment process, Buckner's residence m ...
, 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, and others at the Capitol in Denver, Colorado. There they discussed lengthening the current ten-year statute of limitations in Colorado for sexual assault. Gloria Allred, who represents most of the nearly 60 alleged victims, spoke to the gathering via Skype: "I have been to New Jersey, and I'm not aware of any down side since they eliminated the statute (of limitations) for rape and sex assault." Brauchler said he does not want any victim denied a fair hearing because of Colorado's statute, but "I don't have a magic number." Any change would have to be done carefully, he said, because the more time that passes between an alleged sex assault and prosecution, the harder it is for the accused to defend themselves. Fields called the cap for sexual assault arbitrary in view of the fact that most states including Colorado do not have a statutory limit on murder. On February 11, 2016, The House Judiciary Committee voted 11–0 to send the bill extending the statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years to the full House. Both Ferrier and Thomas, who were alleged victims of Cosby, spoke at the hearing before the decision was made the same day. The bill was cosponsored by Rep. Rhonda Fields and Sen. John Cooke.


Presidential Medal of Freedom bill

On January 5, 2016, it was discovered that U.S. Representative
Paul Gosar Paul Anthony Gosar ( ; born November 27, 1958) is an American Far-right politics, far-rightMultiple sources: * * * politician and former dentist who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 2013. A Re ...
(R-Ariz.) had been crafting a measure to revoke Cosby's
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...
since the July release of a 2005 deposition in which Cosby acknowledged using drugs on women with whom he wanted to have sexual relations. "Cosby has admitted to drugging women in order to satisfy his sexual desires, and, therefore, the Federal government should not recognize Cosby with an honor like the Presidential Medal of Freedom", the bill states. The legislation would further impose criminal penalties on anyone who publicly displays a Medal of Freedom revoked by the president, including up to a year in prison. "To continue honoring Bill Cosby with this prestigious accolade would be an affront to women nationwide, particularly those who were victims of his horrific acts", Gosar wrote in a letter to fellow lawmakers asking them to co-sponsor his bill.


Oregon sex assault bill

A bill in the Oregon Senate would create an exception to the 12-year statute of limitations for the most serious sex crimes—including rape, sodomy and child abuse—allowing prosecutors to bring charges if new concrete evidence emerges. For example, they could reopen the case if multiple victims come forward with similar allegations or if new written evidence is discovered. Senate Bill 1553 was inspired by high-profile rape cases, including the one involving Brenda Tracy, who reported being raped by four football players in Corvallis in 1998, and the one involving Cosby. Under the bill, new victims coming forward could be used as evidence to reopen a case, said Aaron Knott, the legislative director for Oregon Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Oregon Attorney General since 2012. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously was a judge on the Oreg ...
. "While Bill Cosby is a celebrity, it's not unique to him", Knott told lawmakers at a committee hearing on February 8, 2016.


California sex assault law

On January 3, 2016, California State Senator
Connie Leyva Connie Leyva (born February 19, 1967) is an American politician and union organizer, previously serving as a member of the California State Senate in the 20th Senate District from 2014-2002. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Leyva was ...
introduced Senate bill 813, named the "Justice for Victims Act". This bill would eliminate the 10-year statute of limitations in California for felony sexual offenses of rape, sodomy, lewd or lascivious acts, continuous sexual abuse of a child, oral copulation, and sexual penetration. The bill has support from Gloria Allred, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office and others. On April 12, 2016, four alleged victims of Bill Cosby, Linda Kirkpatrick, Lili Bernard, Victoria Valentino and "Kasey" testified before the Senate committee. "I wanted them to know that the system failed us," Kirkpatrick said. Also testifying was Attorney Gloria Allred who represents 33 of Cosby's alleged victims. On September 28, 2016, Governor
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
signed the bill into law. The law took effect January 1, 2017. It was supported by women's / LGBT rights activist
Ivy Bottini Ivy Bottini (August 15, 1926 – February 25, 2021) was an American activist for women's and LGBT rights, and a visual artist. Personal life and career Bottini was born in New York in August 1926. From 1944 until 1947, she attended Pratt Institu ...
and Dr. Caroline Heldman who are also involved in a campaign called #EndRapeSOL to eliminate the statute of limitations on rape in other states. Lili Bernard, Victoria Valentino and other alleged victims of Cosby have contributed to this grassroots effort.


Impact on Cosby's legacy

Joan Tarshis, who had accused Cosby of raping her, within a ''Salon.com'' article, compared Cosby's damaged legacy to that of O. J. Simpson, saying "When you hear O. J. Simpson's name, you don't think 'Oh, great football player'. That doesn't come to mind first. I'm thinking it's not going to be 'Oh, great comedian'. It's going to be 'Oh, serial rapist'." In 2015, ''Ebony'' magazine released an issue with Cosby's allegations as the cover story, discussing the importance of ''
The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' and if it is possible to separate Bill Cosby from
Cliff Huxtable Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show,'' which aired from 1984 to 1992. He was portrayed by actor and comedian Bill Cosby and appeared in all 201 episodes of the show. Cliff ...
. The cover depicted a photograph of The Huxtables with a cracked frame, symbolizing the show's damaged and complicated legacy. ''Rolling Stone'' placed Cosby's concert film '' Bill Cosby: Himself'' as number8 on its list of "The 25 Best Stand-Up Specials of All Time", acknowledging the significance of the film while still saying "Yes, it's damned near impossible to watch anything the tainted comedian has done and not think of the headlines, the heckling, the revelations and what is, by any definition, monstrous behavior." They also placed Cosby at number8 on their list of "The Best Stand-up Comics Of All Time", saying "Bill Cosby is not likely to perform again; listening to his records will never have that gentle, sweet sense of nostalgia for anyone; and while it is impossible to disconnect the performer from the man, scrubbing his name from the annals of stand-up would be impossible."


In popular culture

Fellow stand-up comics, including
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
,
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
,
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...
, Jim Norton,
Bill Maher William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar la ...
,
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
,
Lisa Lampanelli Lisa Lampanelli (born Lisa Marie Lampugnale; July 19, 1961) is an American former stand-up comedian, actress and insult comic. Early life and journalism career Lampanelli was born in Trumbull, Connecticut, to a middle-class family. Three of her ...
,
Jeff Ross Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity roasts held by the New York Friars Club, the ...
and Jim Jeffries, have commented on the allegations in their stand-up. In the 2016 comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'', a character jokes "we got Cosby'd" after realizing he's been drugged. ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'', ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', and ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' also mocked Cosby for his alleged sexual misbehavior.
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
joked about Cosby's downfall and resurrected his iconic impression of him while accepting the award for the
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an American award presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts annually since 1998, excepting the years 2020 and 2021. Named after the 19th-century humorist Mark Twain, it is presen ...
. In 2015, when pornographic actor
James Deen Bryan Matthew Sevilla (born February 7, 1986), known professionally by the stage name James Deen, is an American pornographic actor and director. He entered the porn industry in 2004 at the age of 18. He gained attention due to his relative ...
was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, ''The Huffington Post'' referred to him as "the Bill Cosby of porn". In late 2018, the Christmas song "
Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...
" was pulled from several radio stations amid controversy that its lyrics allegedly promote sexual predation. Susan Loesser, daughter of composer
Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...
, who wrote the song, blamed Bill Cosby for backlash against its lyric "say, what's in this drink?" Loesser said "Bill Cosby is ruining it for everybody...Ever since Cosby was accused of drugging women, I hear the date rape thing all the time...I think it would be good if people looked at the song in the context of the time. It was written in 1944. It was a different time." The 2022 premiere of the 21st season of ''Law & Order'' touched on the Cosby cases, with the plot being centered around the murder of an entertainer (in this case a singer) released from prison after his conviction was overturned in a manner resembling Cosby's; like Cosby, he had been accused of many counts of rape yet maintained his innocence but was shot and killed by a victim looking for revenge. In 2022,
W. Kamau Bell Walter Kamau Bell (born January 26, 1973) is an American stand-up comic and television host. He has hosted the CNN series ''United Shades of America'' since 2016, and hosted FXX television series '' Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell'' from 2012 ...
and
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
released the documentary ''
We Need to Talk About Cosby ''We Need to Talk About Cosby'' is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by W. Kamau Bell. It explores the life and career of Bill Cosby up to his sexual assault cases. It premiered on January 30, 2022, on Showtime. Plot Come ...
'', which dissects Cosby's significant contributions to American and African-American culture and interviews his many alleged rape victims, exploring his complicated and difficult legacy.


Hush money payments and cover-up

It has been reported that one of the reasons many of Cosby's accusers did not initially come forward is that Cosby gave them money in exchange for their silence. When asked in his deposition whom he wished to keep the affair from, Cosby replied "Mrs. Cosby". In November 2014, former NBC facilities manager Frank Scotti told the ''New York Daily News'' that while working on ''The Cosby Show'', Cosby funneled regular payments to several women via money orders that Scotti was told to purchase in his own name. Among the women identified in receipts that Scotti preserved for more than 20 years were Shawn Thompson, Cosby's admitted mistress who later accused him of fathering her child, and Angela Leslie, who claimed Cosby made unwanted sexual advances toward her in the early 1990s. Scotti "suspected that
osby Osby () is a locality and the seat of Osby Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 7,157 inhabitants in 2010. Swedish ice hockey goaltender Magnus Åkerlund was born in Osby. The toy manufacturer BRIO was based in Osby, but moved to Malmö in ...
was having sex with them". He also noted that Cosby "was covering himself by having my name on
he money orders He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
It was a coverup." Scotti also claimed that Cosby regularly took aspiring models and actresses into his dressing room and instructed Scotti, "Stand outside the door and don't let anyone in." In a later interview for ''NBC'' ''Today Show'', Scotti said he "felt like a pimp". Cosby's lawyer Martin Singer denied Scotti's accusations and said the walker-bound 90-year-old was merely seeking "his 15 minutes of fame". In the 2005 deposition that was made public in July 2015, Cosby admitted to making regular payments to Therese Serignese to reward her for good grades.


See also

*
Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal It emerged in late 2012 that Jimmy Savile, an English media personality who had died the previous year, sexually abused hundreds of people throughout his life, most of them children but some as old as 75, and most of them female. He had been we ...
*
Operation Yewtree Operation Yewtree was a British police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against the English media personality Jimmy Savile and others. The investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police Service ( ...


References


External links


Video referencing the sexual assault allegations
by comedian Hannibal Buress, October 2014
Excerpts From Bill Cosby's Deposition in the Andrea Constand case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosby, Bill 2014 scandals 2015 scandals 2000s in the United States 2010s in the United States 2010s trials Sexual assault cases Sexual abuse cover-ups Sexual assaults in the United States Sexual misconduct allegations Sex crime trials Trials in the United States Entertainment scandals Overturned convictions in the United States 2014 in the United States Sex crimes in the United States Scandals in the United States Rape in the United States