A federal judge said one of the reasons he unsealed court documents in which Bill Cosby admits he gave a woman drugs before sex is because of the disconnect between the comedian’s upright public persona and the serious allegations against him.
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Women had come forward with the accusations over the years, but it wasn’t until a comedian used the word “rape” in connection with Cosby that public outrage swelled.
Cosby had fought the request from The Associated Press to unseal the material. The comedian has never been criminally charged and has vehemently denied wrongdoing.
More than two dozen women have accused Mr Cosby of sexual misconduct, including allegations by some that he drugged and raped them in incidents dating back more than four decades.
In the 10 years since Cosby gave sworn testimony in that civil suit – a suit whose words he believed would never be made public – he has arrogantly characterized his accusers as gold-diggers out to exploit his fame for monetary gain. I was on TV in the ’80s! ‘I misunderstood. Woman, meaning T and not women, ‘ he said.
Barbara Bowman, one of the first women to accuse Cosby, told CNN that the admission was “a game changer”.
As leader of television’s Huxtable clan in the 1980s, Cosby was the dad who did things right.
The release of the court records gives us a glimpse into a shocking side of Cosby. He and wife Camille offered millions in donations to colleges and other institutions across the country, including $20 million to Spelman College in 1988. “Proof will always matter more than public opinion”.
UPDATE: By Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times had handily tracked down legal experts who speculated about Cosby’s prospects in the wake of the AP’s big reveal-specifically, whether Cosby could face further trouble in court in the future. Cosby criticized a lack of parenting among poor families, complaining about young people’s poor speech, dress and dropout rates.
“Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals”, Cosby said. “These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola”.
And, speaking of embarrassment, Cosby lamented the stupidity of “people getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of [stolen] pound cake!” “We then have sex”, he said. On Monday, The Associated Press revealed Cosby admitted in 2005 that he obtained quaaludes with the intent of giving them to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
He also testified in the 2005 case that he granted the National Enquirer an interview about accusations against him in exchange for the tabloid squelching another story about an alleged assault. His standup special with Netflix has been shelved indefinitely. The Bounce TV and Centric networks stopped re-running “The Cosby Show“. And Bill Cosby wanted it to stay that way. He said he doubts it will return while its star, who turns 78 on Sunday, is alive. “I think she may very well have been happy to be around the show-business surroundings”.
It remains to be seen how many minds the newly released testimony will change.
On Monday, singer and ex- Cosby supporter Jill Scott made it clear on Twitter that she was no longer standing by him in light of evidence provided by the AP’s report. Completely disgusted.” Scott tweeted, adding, “I stood by a man I respected and loved.
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Court documents unsealed Monday show that Cosby says he gave a 19-year-old woman the sedative before they had sex in the 1970s.
