With the news that Bill Cosby‘s sexual assault conviction had been overturned and that he was released from jail after only two years of his initial three to ten-year sentence, his accusers have been sharing their disappointment and frustration with the Philadelphia Supreme Court’s decision. Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by 60 women and was convicted of drugging and molesting an employee of his alma mater, Temple University, at his suburban Pennsylvania estate in 2015, though he continued denying any wrongdoing. The Philadelphia Supreme Court has now found that Cosby had an agreement with a previous prosecutor that should have prevented him from being charged in the case. It also found that some of the testimony in the trial was irrelevant and may have “tainted” the legal proceedings.
Andrea Constand, one of the many women who accused Cosby of assault, released a statement on her Twitter account from her legal team expressing their disappointment in Cosby being released on a technicality. “Today’s majority decision regarding Bill Cosby is not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action,” they wrote.
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They went on to explain the technicality that got Cosby his freedom, writing that it was “was not a formal immunity agreement and constituted at best a unilateral exercise of prosecutorial discretion not to prosecute at the time.” They also made sure to refocus the narrative on the women who had come out against Cosby, praising their bravery and encouraging women to still keep fighting. “Once again, we remain grateful to those women who came forward to tell their stories, to DA Kevin Steele and the excellent prosecutors who achieve a conviction at trial, despite the ultimate outcome which resulted from a procedural technicality, and we urge all victims to to have their voices heard,” they wrote before explaining that they would have no further comment on the ordeal.
Following his return home, Cosby released a statement on Twitter. “I have never changed my stance nor my story,” he wrote. “I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
