Bill Cosby’s lawyers appeared in virtual court on Tuesday to argue to overturn his sexual assault conviction.
“America’s Dad” has been behind bars after he was accused of intoxicating and sexually assaulting dozens of young women over several decades. He was convicted for allegedly drugging and molesting Andrea Constand.
Now the 83-year-old is hoping that a judge in Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will overturn his 2018 sexual assault conviction because the judge at the time let five women, including Janice Dickinson, testify against him. His team says that should not have been allowed.
Cosby’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said there was “all of this vague testimony” about Cosby’s previous behavior, but nothing that proved he was as horrible as they say.
“They put Mr. Cosby in a position where he had no shot. The presumption of innocence just didn’t exist for him,” she added. “Mr. Cosby suffered unquantifiable prejudice where the prior bad-act evidence overwhelmed his second trial.”
Cosby has served more than two of his 3-10-year prison sentence for drugging and molesting Constand, who he met through a Temple University basketball program.
Cosby said in a statement Tuesday, “This morning, people around the world witnessed a beautiful presentation by Attorney Jennifer Bonjean regarding two (2) important issues — Immunity & the misuse of a law called, 404 (b) or PBAs (Prior Bad Acts Witnesses). This was not just a historic day for me, Bill Cosby, but it became a beacon of hope for those countless American Citizens of the Keystone State in Pennsylvania Correctional Facilities, whose constitutional rights might have been grossly abused because they lacked resources and means to fight prosecutorial corruption.”
