Trial Date Set in Cosby Case; Lawyer Alleges Racial Bias
Bill Cosby has a trial date in the Pennsylvania criminal trial accusing the comedian of sexual assault. June 5, 2017 has been set as the deadline by which the trial must begin. The Pennsylvania criminal complaint accuses Cosby of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. If convicted, Cosby could face up to ten years in prison. This is the only case pending in criminal court, although over 50 women have accused him of sexual assault.
After the hearing setting his court date, Cosby’s lawyer, Brian McMonagle, made a statement to reporters on Tuesday alleging that Cosby is the victim of racial bias and prejudice and indicated that civil rights issues may play a part in the trial. He pointed a finger at Gloria Allred for fanning the fires.
“Mr. Cosby is no stranger to discrimination and racial hatred, and throughout his career Mr. Cosby has always used his voice and his celebrity to highlight the commonalities and has portrayed the differences that are not negative — no matter the race, gender and religion of a person. Yet over the last 14 months, Mr. Cosby and those who have supported him have been ignored while lawyers like Gloria Allred hold press conferences to accuse him of crimes for unwitnessed events that allegedly occurred almost a half-century earlier. The time has come to shine a spotlight on the trampling of Mr. Cosby’s civil rights. Gloria Allred apparently loves the media spotlight more than she cares about justice. She calls herself a civil rights attorney, but her campaign against Mr. Cosby builds on racial bias and prejudice that can pollute the court of public opinion. And when the media repeats her accusations — with no evidence, no trial and no jury — we are moved backwards as a country and away from the America that our civil rights leaders sacrificed so much to create.”
Allred called the sentiments “pathetic” and “desperate” attempts to change the focus off Cosby’s alleged assaults.
