Bill Cosby (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty)
The verdict is in, and the man once considered America’s favorite dad, Bill Cosby, has been convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. After less than two days of deliberation the jury has returned a guilty verdict.
This isn’t a huge surprise to legal observers. Though Cosby’s first trial resulted in a hung jury, there’s some key differences this time around. The judge ruled that prosecutors could call five additional women (besides the complainant, Andrea Constand) and that proved too much for the defense.
What Biglaw Can Learn From Personal Injury Firms
How a former insurance agent built a Houston injury practice around systems, empathy, and disciplined advocacy.
There’s also the prominence of the #metoo movement, and a cultural moment where people are inclined to believe women who accuse powerful men of sexual assault. Plus Cosby’s own lawyer, Tom Mesereau, appeared to fall asleep during testimony. He probably shouldn’t have let Cosby buy him coffee.
UPDATE: Bill Cosby…. has some feelings about his conviction.
BREAKING: Bill Cosby lashes out at prosecutor in expletive-laden tirade in courtroom after conviction in sexual assault retrial.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 26, 2018
Protégé™ In CourtLink® Explains The Whole Case Faster
Designed to reduce manual docket work by prioritizing what litigators need most: on-demand full docket summarization that explains the whole case to date, followed by on-demand document summaries for filing triage, and AI-powered natural language searching for faster search and retrieval.
Kathryn 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).