Hard lessons for lawyers in Cosby case; tougher for victims mysanantonio.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mysanantonio.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maryclaire Dale
Bill Cosby leaves his home alongside spokesperson Andrew Wyatt Thursday, July 1, 2021 in Elkins Park, Pa. Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after his 2018 sexual assault conviction was overturned. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP) July 01, 2021 - 5:30 PM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) â The seven justices who reversed Bill Cosbyâs conviction this week spent months debating whether he had a secret agreement with a prosecutor that tainted his 2018 criminal sexual assault conviction.
In the end, Pennsylvaniaâs highest court ruled that a district attorney had induced Cosby to give incriminating testimony in 2005 for a lawsuit, with the promise that no criminal charges would be filed. Then, a decade later, another prosecutor used it against him â a fundamental violation of his Fifth Amendment rights. âAmericaâs Dadâ walked out of prison Wednesday and won t face any further trials in the case.
Updated Hard lessons for lawyers in Cosby case; tougher for victims
PHILADELPHIA (AP) The seven justices who reversed Bill Cosby’s conviction this week spent months debating whether he had a secret agreement with a prosecutor that tainted his 2018 criminal sexual assault conviction.
In the end, Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled that a district attorney had induced Cosby to give incriminating testimony in 2005 for a lawsuit, with the promise that no criminal charges would be filed. Then, a decade later, another prosecutor used it against him a fundamental violation of his Fifth Amendment rights. “America’s Dad” walked out of prison Wednesday and won’t face any further trials in the case.
“It probably would have been much better lawyering to get it all in writing,” Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson, a former prosecutor, said of the hidden deal in the Cosby case. “It’s a teachable moment, I think, for prosecutors across the nation. It’s a big lesson.”
Levenson, too, fears the quick takeaway is that “another celebrity gets away with a crime.” More deeply, she said, the case illustrates the need for legal agreements that are “open, fair and transparent.”
“For survivors of sexual assault, it’s got to be another incredibly upsetting, frustrating moment,” she said. “So (there are) good lessons for prosecutors and hard lessons for survivors.”
Good lessons for prosecutors and hard lessons for survivors : Outcomes of revoking Bill Cosby s sexual assault conviction msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.