Why not convicted comedian Bill Cosby?

Dozens of women accused the famous actor of harassment. But the jury could not decide what to do with it

The court in Philadelphia sent for a revision the case of American comedian Bill Cosby, one of the most recognizable actors in the United States and the “main dad of America”. Cosby accused Andrea constant in 2004-according to a woman, he gave her some drug to take advantage of her unconscious condition. Since 2005, constand has sought to bring Cosby to justice, and when it finally came to the court, dozens of women accused the comedian of harassment with her. The jury pronounced the verdict for almost a week - and could not agree. "Medusa" tells what the Cosby case is and why he was not convicted.

The main dad of America

Bill Cosby began as a stand-up comedian, by the mid-1980s all America already knew him-primarily as the father of the family in the “Cosby Show”, a comedic sitcom about the life of a prosperous black Hastyblov family from New York. Prior to that, he participated in the creation of an animated series for children for more than ten years. He was considered a moral authority and a role model, and for his role in the "show of Cosby" he was even called "the main dad of America."

Behind the scenes of Cosby, according to dozens of witnesses, was a completely different person. He could invite the girl home, persuade her to accept her pills unknown to her and take advantage of the unconscious state. The first accusations dates back to 1960, almost all these episodes have expired. In addition to one, the affairs of Andrea Constand, which Cosby, according to her, was harassed in 2004.

Constant has tried to achieve the trial of Bill Cosby since 2005. In the early 2000s, she worked as one of the leaders in the basketball team of TEMPL University. Constant was seriously engaged in basketball and even played for the national team of Canada (she is a Canadian subject). Cosby is a graduate of this university, he always helped the educational institution, including was related to the basketball teams of TEMPL. In 2002, he saw Andrea at the basketball match, later they became friends. Constant claims that during his acquaintance, Cosbi tried to pester her several times, but this did not lead to anything - the actor as a man did not interest her.

In January 2004, he invited the girl to discuss her future to his home. Andrea at that moment thought whether to leave the university team, and thought how she would continue her career. Cosbee poured her wine, and then offered several tablets, “to calm down”, saying that they were on the herbs. The girl trusted Cosby and washed down with wine pills. Soon she felt that she could not move, then she discovered that the actor put his hand in her underpants, and put her hand on his cock.

A few hours later she woke up, it was about four in the morning. The girl felt bad; Cosby did not sleep and offered her a cupcake, and then led to the door. For about a year, Andrea did not tell anyone about what had happened and even introduced her family with Cosby. From the University of TEMPL, she still left and returned to her native Toronto - but she was persecuted by nightmares, the Vanity Fair investigation said. Constant was then 31 years old, she suffered from depression and moved away from her family and friends. In January 2015, she told her mother that she was harassed by Bill Cosby.

According to the actor, everything happened by mutual agreement. He recalled that evening at his house in about the same way as Andrea-he just did not say anything about the pills and claimed that the girl did not show that she did not like something. Cosby claimed that he was well versed in people and would understand that she did not want any intimacy. The Vanity Fair writes that Cosby did not understand that constant is a lesbian; At that time she was in a relationship with a girl.

The girl turned to the police, but the criminal case fell apart for the lack of evidence. In 2006, she concluded a pre -trial agreement on a civil lawsuit, received monetary compensation and until recently remained silence. In addition, more than ten women were attached to the civil lawsuit, who claimed that Cosby gave them various tablets and used a helpless position.

"He was not a faithful husband, but this is not a crime"

In 2015, Andrea Constant decided to dry Cosby. The actor continued to be approved in the status of moral authority, traveled around the country with lectures on how to behave correctly, and was a role model - primarily for African American. Constant reasoned that there was a dangerous contradiction in this: people do not know what Cosbea actually. After a long proceeding, the court sided with the woman and decided to publish the materials of the old trial, from which it followed that he really gave a sedative Qualude drug to one woman before sex.

As it turned out, there were almost 60 women who were ready to accuse Cosby of sexual harassment. Among them are models (including the famous Dikinson), Cosby colleagues on the set, friends and acquaintances. All cases were practically identical: the women were in the company of Cosby, he persuaded them to drink some kind of pill and drink it with wine, then they could not resist, and the actor molested them. In almost all of them, the statute of limitations has long expired. He did not expire only in the constant case, and the initially closed criminal proceedings were resumed.

As the influential journalist Ta-Nehiyi Cowts wrote for The Atlantic, that many knew and guessed the fact that Cosby could be a rapist, but his public image forced to turn a blind eye to this. Cowts himself did not investigate, although he knew about the accusations: he did not have one hundred percent evidence, and the journalist postponed the work on the material.

Cosbei was called a rapist even in stand-ups: comedian Hannibal Barss for six months offered visitors to google his show “Bill Kosby Rape”, and in October 2014, one of these performances turned into a virus ; It was after this video that Jenis Dikinson, the Playboy model Victoria Valentino, and more than ten women said that they were raped by the famous comedian. The claims followed, but only the constanda case reached the court due to problems with the statute of limitations.

The comedian continued to deny everything and insisted that there was no sexual violence. According to his lawyer in the last word, Bill Cosby "was not a faithful husband, but this is not a crime." The jury consulted six days: they were embarrassed that Andrea constant was confused in the testimony, although some of them were convinced that Cosbei was really guilty of sexual violence. In addition, the jury was not allowed to hear the testimonies of other women from the old case constant, except for one.

On June 17, the court in Pennsylvania sent the case for a revision: 52 hours of meetings were not allowed to come to any general opinion on points of the prosecution. The actor did not comment on the decision, but one of his lawyer said that "the power of Cosby was returning." The new process will begin in three to four months; Cosby by that time will turn 80 years old.

Pavel Borisov