Prosecutor Gets Snippy With Defense Team In Cosby Sexual Assault Case

Lawyers say the darndest things.

Bill Cosby (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty)

When a client has legal issues outside of the jurisdiction you’re barred in, it’s generally regarded that getting admitted pro hac vice to the local jurisdiction is a necessary, but fairly straightforward step. Lawyers for Bill Cosby in his re-trial for three counts of aggravated indecent assault for allegedly sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, also found out it’s an opportunity for prosecutors to lash out at you.

Tom Mesereau, Kathleen Bliss, Jason Hicks, and Becky James had to re-seek pro hac vice admission to Pennsylvania after Cosby changed local counsel. That’s when Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele lashed out against the defense attorneys in court, calling out their alleged false allegations to the court and claiming they violated the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, as reported by Law.com:

“These folks come as guests of the court. They have not earned the right to practice here in Pennsylvania,” Steele said. “We cannot agree to their admission pro hac vice.”

But Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven T. O’Neill  said without a written motion by the prosecution or specific evidence of the allegations Steele was referring to, he had to grant the pro hac vice admission. Though he did tell the visiting lawyers, “You’re on notice.”

There’s plenty of animosity on both sides of this case. At the same hearing, Judge O’Neill heard arguments that there was prosecutorial misconduct — including allegations that exculpatory evidence was destroyed by the District Attorney’s Office. That motion to dismiss was denied, but makes it easy to see why Steele opposed the pro hac vice admission of the attorneys. We’ll have to see how this all plays out when the trial, scheduled for April 2, begins.


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headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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