A day after Bill Cosby was charged, arraigned and booked on an unprecedented sexual-assault charge, his lawyer on Thursday publicly signaled the initial shape of his defense: It’s all politics, and there will be no plea agreement.
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Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesBill Cosby has been charged with aggravated indecent assault of one woman after dozens of others came forward in the past year to claim the comedian drugged and raped them.
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Cosby’s legal-team spokeswoman, lawyer Monique Pressley, who accompanied him to his arraignment, said in a statement late Wednesday the charge was “no surprise” coming on the heels of “a hotly contested election for this county’s DA during which this case was made the focal point”.
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First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele said Cosby was charged with “aggravated indecent assault”, which is a first-degree felony.
While Steele did not mention the victim by name, The Associated Press reported that the charges relate to the alleged drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand in 2004. He said it is unclear what type of pills Constand was given, but he noted that Cosby has admitted giving Quaaludes to women he wanted to have sex with.
“What we have now”, she added, “is not the effectuation of justice”.
“(When) we learned about allegations from other victims under similar circumstances, reopening this case was not a question”, Steele said.
Some accusers have said they felt discouraged from going public because of Cosby’s fame, power, and reputation as “America’s dad”.
Constand’s version of events strongly suggests Cosby gave her something much stronger than Benadryl.
She told police that Cosby drugged her and violated her by putting his hands down her trousers at his mansion in suburban Philadelphia in 2004, but no charges were initially laid. The charges come months before the statute of limitations was set to expire in the case.
The first time, she said, she passed out after taking a drink, and woke up naked in a bed, with Cosby allegedly telling her that her dress had been washed after she threw up.
Steele’s office says he isn’t available to comment on her remarks.
Most of the alleged acts have exceeded the 12-year statute of limitations for criminal legal proceedings, but several civil lawsuits have been brought against Cosby.
Victoria Valentino also said she cried when she saw Cosby’s mugshot. Constand reportedly thought of Cosby, 37 years her senior, as a mentor who “provided her with guidance and career advice”.
The women were mostly from the world of modeling, acting or other entertainment fields, and Cosby or his representatives denied any wrongdoing, accusing some of them of trying to extract money from him or get ahead in show business.
Pressley said she expected prosecutors would try to establish a pattern of conduct against her client by bringing in allegations from his other accusers, but the defense would fight to keep such evidence out.
It was a stunning cover of “The New York daily news” we all woke up, the headline, he said/she said with 55 she saids following.
Patricia Steuer told CNN she was with her husband in public when she found out Cosby had been arrested.
Her accusation against Cosby: Thomas says she met Cosby in 1984 and visited him at a house outside of Reno, Nevada, for “coaching”.
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Cosby’s lawyers picked up on Steele’s recent victory at the polls. She also sued Cosby in civil court in Montgomery County and settled out of court.
