Former Playboy model accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1969
A former Playboy model who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her and another woman at his home in 1969 is suing the entertainer in Los Angeles under a new California law that suspends the statute of limitations on sex abuse claims.
Appellate judges raise doubts about Weinstein's conviction
A New York appeals court has excoriated Manhattan prosecutors for filling out Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial last year with what one judge deemed “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from women whose allegations weren’t part of the criminal charges against him.
Maxwell's brother says US prosecutors seeking to 'break' her
The brother of a British socialite charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls says her prosecution is “the most over-hyped trial of the century,” designed to break a woman targeted by authorities who are desperate to blame someone for the late financier’s crimes.
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Rashad draws critics and dismissal calls for defending Cosby
Phylicia Rashad has found herself embroiled in controversy after expressing public support for Bill Cosby’s release from prison, with some prominent Black voices calling for her dismissal as dean of Howard University's College of Fine Arts.
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Lawyer defending Trump accustomed to political disaster
He argued that Trump could not have — and would not have — encouraged the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “We’re really here because majority in the House of Representatives does not want to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future. AdHis reemergence as an impeachment lawyer for Trump was a head-scratching moment for Pennsylvania's political and legal world. He had not campaigned for Trump, and a longtime friend, Brian Miles, told the Inquirer that the two men had never discussed Trump before Castor mentioned recently that he was up for the job. For all the criticism directed at him, Castor suggested that Trump did not criticize his performance.
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Trump can't hang on to lawyers after false election claims
Since losing the November election to President Joe Biden, Trump has been hemorrhaging attorneys. Trump's impeachment lawyers started off their defense by misspelling the words “United States” in their brief. Navarro told The Associated Press that he “warned the president that his legal team was going to fail him." Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Trump’s team did a “terrible job." AdBut after impeachment, Trump's legal needs will likely accelerate, with the investigations in New York, Georgia and possibly Washington, D.C., where prosecutors will have the power of subpoena.
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Trump names 2 lawyers to impeachment defense team
Former President Trump has named two lawyers to his impeachment defense team, one day after it was revealed that the former president had parted ways with an earlier set of attorneys. AdThe announcement was intended to promote a sense of stability surrounding the Trump defense team as his impeachment trial nears. Trump’s team had initially announced that Butch Bowers, a South Carolina lawyer, would lead his legal team after an introduction from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Many legal scholars, however, say there is no bar to an impeachment trial despite Trump having left the White House. Schoen met with financier Jeffrey Epstein about joining his defense team on sex trafficking charges just days before Epstein killed himself in a New York jail.
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Rape charges denied by lawyer for '70s Show' actor Masterson
Attorney Tom Mesereau entered the plea for the 44-year-old actor, who was not in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear. Prosecutors allege that he raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April of 2003, and a 23-year-old woman between October and December of 2003, all at his Hollywood Hills home. Defense lawyer Tom Mesereau entered the plea for Masterson, who was not present in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear in Los Angeles County Superior Court. All of the alleged rapes happened at his Hollywood Hills home. The alleged rapes happened at the height of Masterson’s fame as he starred as Steven Hyde on Fox TV's retro sitcom “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006 alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.
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Cosby's sex assault conviction goes before high-level court
Now the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear his appeal of the conviction on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. The arguments will focus on the trial judge's decision to let five other accusers testify for the prosecution. Cosby, 83, hopes to overturn his 2018 sex assault conviction because the judge let prosecutors call five other accusers who said Cosby mistreated them the same way he did his victim, Andrea Constand. Judge Steven T. O'Neill had allowed just one other accuser to testify at Cosby's first trial in 2017, when the jury could not reach a verdict. O'Neill then let five other accusers testify at Cosby's retrial in 2018, when the jury convicted him of drugging and sexually assaulting Constand.
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Bill Cosby, now 83, grins in newly released prison mug shot
HARRISBURG, Pa. – A newly released prison mug shot shows Bill Cosby smiling with a disposable mask hanging off his face. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recently updated Cosby’s mug shot, something routinely done to document changes to inmates' appearance as they age. Cosby's new photo was taken Sept. 4. It was accompanied by text that said: “This photo was taken by his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, during his first virtual video conference call with Mr. Cosby last week. An appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case.
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Bill Cosby appeal set for Dec. 1 in Pennsylvania high court
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear Bill Cosby's appeal of his felony sex assault conviction on Dec. 1. A lower appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the state's high court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case. The high court will also consider whether the jury should have heard evidence that Cosby had given quaaludes to women in the past. Dozens of women have come forward over the years to accuse Cosby of sexual assault, and the trial judge deemed him a sexually violent predator. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims without their permission, which Constand has granted.
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Actor Masterson's lawyer denies and denounces rape charges
Actor Danny Masterson, left, stands with his attorney, Thomas Mesereau as he is arraigned on rape charges at Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. “There have been repeated attempts to politicize this case,” said Mesereau, who also represented Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson in their sexual misconduct cases. “We want to do anything we can to tone down the cameras and the circus-like atmosphere that have pervaded this case," the attorney said. Despite dozens of investigations, most have led to no charges based on lack of evidence or too much time passing. He was removed from the Netflix show “The Ranch” in 2017 over the allegations that would eventually lead to the charges.
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Legal advocates line up on both sides of Bill Cosby's appeal
PHILADELPHIA – Legal advocates are lining up on both sides of actor Bill Cosby’s appeal as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to review his 2018 sex assault conviction. Cosby was the first celebrity to go on trial in the #MeToo era, and his appeal could resolve lingering questions about how the cases should be tried. Public defenders in Philadelphia, in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in Cosby's appeal, noted that courts have given conflicting guidance on the issue. The other groups filing legal briefs in the appeal include the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. Cosby’s trial judge, Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill, said their testimony did just that, even if it occurred a decade or two before Constand's encounter.
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Polanski's request to restore film academy membership denied
A judge on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, denied Polanski's request to restore his membership into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that bestows the Academy Awards two years after he was expelled from it for raping a minor. The fugitive film director sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the organization to make him a member in good standing again. (AP Photo/File)LOS ANGELES A judge on Tuesday denied Roman Polanski's request to restore his membership in the organization that bestows the Academy Awards two years after he was expelled from it for raping a minor. The fugitive film director sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make him a member in good standing again. His art will survive long after the academy is a forgotten relic.An email seeking comment from academy officials wasn't immediately returned.

Bill Cosby challenges prior victims' testimony in appeal
These witnesses, including supermodel Janice Dickinson, are known as "prior bad acts" witnesses. In court, prosecutors said these witnesses showed Cosby had a common pattern or scheme in his assault of Constand. Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele highlighted the "prior bad acts" testimony immediately after the verdict. "Everybody got to see who he really is when each of those prior bad act witnesses got to testify, he said. "This filing is an important step in ensuring that Mr. Cosby receives a hearing from a fair and impartial court," Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt said in a statement.

Celebrity internet death hoaxes
Comedian and pudding enthusiast Bill Cosby openly joked about the first few Internet-spawned rumors of his death, but by the fourth one in the summer of 2010 he was done laughing. As the hoax picked up steam on Twitter, the comedian took to his own account to conform he was still alive, writing, "Again, I'm rebuttaling rumors about my demise." Hide Caption