PHILADELPHIA – Bill Cosby has been freed from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction.
It is a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as “America’s Dad.” The state Supreme Court said Wednesday that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby.
The testimony was used in a criminal trial, violating Cosby’s rights to due process.
The 83-year-old Cosby served nearly three years of a three- to 10-year sentence. Cosby was promptly set free from the state prison in suburban Montgomery County and driven home.
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“The court says this goes down to basic principals of contract law,” explained attorney Latoya Williams-Shelton. “If I make you a promise and you detrimentally rely on it, then of course, fundamental fairness says we need to make sure that you move forward on that promise that you made.”
Cosby was found guilty for drugging and violating Temple University sports administrator Andrea Constand in 2004.
In a statement, Constand and her lawyers called the ruling disappointing, and they, like many other advocates, expressed fear that it could discourage sexual assault victims from coming forward. “We urge all victims to have their voices heard,” they added.
Now that the case is overturned, the state’s supreme court says he won’t be prosecuted again on the same charges.
“I hope that the women that came forward know that they are believed and that they are respected and that and that we are grateful for their voice and their willingness to put themselves out there and that we will continue to fight for women,” said Kellie Ann Kelleher-Smith with the Women’s Center of Jacksonville
The Women’s Center of Jacksonville says one in six women in Florida are sexually assaulted and less than a quarter of those women report assault. It encourages anyone who has any concerns to contact its hotline at 904-721-7273.