TW Cosby

[maudefindlay]

Bill Cosby to be released from prison. Charges dropped due to unfair trial. WTF?

[heat40]

just saw this. I am at a loss for words. I don't really understand the ruling, so I'll wait for someone who knows more to make it make sense. wow

[redheadbaker]

I think this has the wrong trigger warning -- needs a sex assault trigger warning, not an @ warning. He assaulted adult women.

[maudefindlay]

Jun 30, 2021 12:04:50 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

I think this has the wrong trigger warning -- needs a sex assault trigger warning, not an @ warning. He assaulted adult women.

Sorry what is that warning?

[mysteriouswife]

Jun 30, 2021 12:08:23 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Jun 30, 2021 12:04:50 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

I think this has the wrong trigger warning -- needs a sex assault trigger warning, not an @ warning. He assaulted adult women.

Sorry what is that warning?

TW

[kath16]

this is... extremely local to me.

from NBC:
The court said that District Attorney Kevin Steele, who made the decision to arrest Cosby, was obligated to stand by his predecessor’s promise not to charge Cosby when he later gave potentially incriminating testimony in Constand's civil suit. There was no evidence that promise was ever put in writing.
(link: www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/bill-cosbys-sex-assault-conviction-overturned-by-court/2864792/)

much more to come. it's just happening now.

ETA: NBC notes that he was not taking the classes that he would have been required to take to be eligible for parole.

[maudefindlay]

It stems from use of multiple accusers to show a pattern.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jun 30, 2021 11:56:56 GMT -5 heat40 said:

just saw this. I am at a loss for words. I don't really understand the ruling, so I'll wait for someone who knows more to make it make sense. wow

Basically - a DA made an agreement with Cosby to waive his 5th amendment rights in prior civil case in exchange for not prosecuting him based on that testimony. So Cosby waived 5th amendment privileges believing he would not be prosecuted, as per the agreement.

Another DA (I think - it might have been the same one) decided to disregard this agreement and charge him anyway.

[lea]

The DA that said he wouldn’t prosecute was Bruce Castor, one of Trump’s impeachment lawyers.

www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Supreme/out/J-100-2020mo%20-%20104821740139246918.pdf?cb=1

[basilosaurus]

I just was in a conversation with a Malaysian 3 days ago when Cosby came up. He only had the briefest familiarity with the case, so I wanted to google the sentence since I couldn't remember. I explained he's more likely to be released under humanitarian reasons (blind and old) than paroled due to not admitting remorse (since he said he did nothing wrong) and not taking the classes.

I also had to explain what quaaludes are and how it's similar to roofieing someone. Youts

[somersault72]

Jun 30, 2021 11:52:09 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Bill Cosby to be released from prison. Charges dropped due to unfair trial. WTF?

From what I'm reading he can't be retried either. Look, I don't know shit about the law. Maybe his trial WAS unfair and someone royally effed up. But his victims?? THAT'S who I feel sorry for. How awful for them. Not that him being locked up took away their pain, but now they get no sense of justice at all.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I don't know how to link a tweet thread, but for people who do Twitter, PopeHat has a pretty good breakdown.

[Deleted]

Phylicia Rashad has now tweeted her support for him. I can’t even imagine being a Howard fine arts student right now.

[TR]

Jun 30, 2021 12:58:19 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I don't know how to link a tweet thread, but for people who do Twitter, PopeHat has a pretty good breakdown.

Based on that thread (and only that bc I haven’t yet read anything else so that may change my mind), it really does seem like this was the right decision, legally, and the anger should be directed toward the prosecutors who fucked this all up with their misconduct.

[heat40]

So the DA that made the deal was Bruce Castor. The one who represented Trump for his impeachment. I'm so angry for the victims.

[basilosaurus]

Jun 30, 2021 12:45:59 GMT -5 somersault72 said:

Jun 30, 2021 11:52:09 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Bill Cosby to be released from prison. Charges dropped due to unfair trial. WTF?

From what I'm reading he can't be retried either. Look, I don't know shit about the law. Maybe his trial WAS unfair and someone royally effed up. But his victims?? THAT'S who I feel sorry for. How awful for them. Not that him being locked up took away their pain, but now they get no sense of justice at all.

Yep. I just talked to guy I talked about Cosby with a few moments ago (roommate situation). He was happy Cosby was released to let him die at home in peace, let it go, etc. What about the women who found peace when he was finally brought to justice?! Sometimes people (jerks, not full assholes) delight in riling me up. It's not hard b/c there's so much to be passionate about. I will not apologize for that, and I will not be told to calm down, let it go, it's not a big deal, it doesn't matter. I've heard all weekly for years.

Someone send BP meds, please.

[smock]

I've got a Law & Order degree, so bear with me. Why can't they retry Cosby for the crimes he DIDN'T incriminate himself for in the civil suit testimony? The man raped dozens of women over the course of decades. Surely he didn't list them all during the civil trial.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jun 30, 2021 13:38:57 GMT -5 smock said:

I've got a Law & Order degree, so bear with me. Why can't they retry Cosby for the crimes he DIDN'T incriminate himself for in the civil suit testimony? The man raped dozens of women over the course of decades. Surely he didn't list them all during the civil trial.

Statute of limitations, I'd guess.

[sparkythelawyer]

The prosecutors effed this up. And now its been overturned. That is basically the long and short of it

[sparkythelawyer]

Jun 30, 2021 13:38:57 GMT -5 smock said:

I've got a Law & Order degree, so bear with me. Why can't they retry Cosby for the crimes he DIDN'T incriminate himself for in the civil suit testimony? The man raped dozens of women over the course of decades. Surely he didn't list them all during the civil trial.

There may not be admissible evidence from those other instances, and I am uncertain as to what the statute of limitations is.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jun 30, 2021 13:58:43 GMT -5 sparkythelawyer said:

Jun 30, 2021 13:38:57 GMT -5 smock said:

I've got a Law & Order degree, so bear with me. Why can't they retry Cosby for the crimes he DIDN'T incriminate himself for in the civil suit testimony? The man raped dozens of women over the course of decades. Surely he didn't list them all during the civil trial.

There may not be admissible evidence from those other instances, and I am uncertain as to what the statute of limitations is.

I was curious so I looked it up ~10 minutes ago.

It's 12 years.

[suzyp]

Jun 30, 2021 13:56:42 GMT -5 sparkythelawyer said:

The prosecutors effed this up. And now its been overturned. That is basically the long and short of it

Exactly. Take Cosby out of it.  The DA told someone they wouldn't prosecute them, the person then testifies in a civil case where they would have taken the 5th and then those statements were used as evidence to prosecute the person who they were told would not be prosecuted.

I am FURIOUS that no one will get justice.  And fuck Phylicia Rashad - NOTHING in this ruling exonerates him.  NOTHING.  No one should be celebrating or defending him. WTF

[gretchenindisguise]

I thought this was decent perspective from popehat mentioned
SuspendedHat
@popehat
·
3h
/8 Also, I respectfully invite you to consider the difference between “the rich can beat the system” and “only the rich can reliably vindicate their rights”

[AJL]

Huh. I mean… I don’t know what else to say.

[erbear]

I am so disappointed by this. My only solace is that he spent three years in jail and is likely to die pretty soon. I know this is shitty, but fuck him.

Legally, I understand the decision and it was probably the “right” one. Morally? Yeah.

[kershnic]

Our legal system is so broken.

I guess the only good news is that he doesn't get his incarcerated time back, same as any other wrongly incarcerated person.

[TR]

Jun 30, 2021 16:40:00 GMT -5 erbear said:

I am so disappointed by this. My only solace is that he spent three years in jail and is likely to die pretty soon. I know this is shitty, but fuck him.

Legally, I understand the decision and it was probably the “right” one. Morally? Yeah.

Yep. From that same Twitter thread I referenced earlier:

@popehat:

/4 This is an excellent example of "how do we feel when the state violates the rights of awful people who would otherwise escape punishment"?

[basilosaurus]

Jun 30, 2021 16:40:00 GMT -5 erbear said:

I am so disappointed by this. My only solace is that he spent three years in jail and is likely to die pretty soon. I know this is shitty, but fuck him.

Legally, I understand the decision and it was probably the “right” one. Morally? Yeah.

Meh, I'm here for petty. Justice at work sometimes means bad guys go free. Karma (yeah yeah I now, not the correct interpretation) means they will suffer. Not as much as their victims, because nothing compared to decades silence about sex crimes, But there has to be some satisfaction somewhere. I just wish it were suffering in prison. But, yeah, long arms of justice and all.

BTW when do those long arms reach the orange menace family?

[mcppalmbeach]

Jun 30, 2021 13:05:10 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Phylicia Rashad has now tweeted her support for him. I can’t even imagine being a Howard fine arts student right now.

Her crap about this is looooonnnnngggggg documented. I have no idea wtf Howard, Disney, this is us and the other people who choose to continue to work with her are thinking.

[mrshandy]

JFC this is disgusting and is reminiscent of Acosta Epstein sweetheart deal IMO. To me it is a sign that of the excessive power of prosecutors how they can choose what cases they decide to prosecute. 

The prosecutor gets to decide on justice for someone who was violated. Was the victim even consulted when the non-prosecution deal was made? Isn't that violating some kind of law? That is fucking awful and bullshit. Women are used and abused in the court system.