A date has been set for embattled comedian Bill Cosby’s criminal trial. Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill announced that Cosby’s trial date will be no later than June 5, 2017 at a pretrial hearing on Tuesday. Judge O’Neil stated, “This case now 252 days from filing of criminal complaints. There is a right to a speedy trial.” He also said Cosby is blind and offered whatever special accommodations he may need.
Cosby’s trial will undoubtedly be one of the biggest celebrity trials since that of O.J. Simpson. Prosecutors have indicated that they plan to introduce 13 other alleged prior incidents of sexual assault by Cosby to show a pattern of predatory sexual behavior. The women in these incidents are expected to testify during the criminal trial proceedings. Cosby’s defense team has undergone a major shakeups during his legal proceedings. Not only is he battling his criminal case in Philadelphia but he has multiple defamation lawsuits that are also pending. Cosby has replaced one Los Angeles law firm with another on his defense team, the second time he has done so in a year. Angela Agrusa of Liner LLP will now handle the defamation lawsuits filed in several states by women who say they were defamed when Cosby or his defense team denied their accounts.
In addition, Cosby is still making last ditch legal maneuvers to suppress evidence already revealed to the public in his upcoming trail. His lawyers have made motions to throw out two key pieces of evidence. This includes a phone call where he admitted to using his fingers to penetrate Andrea Constand in a recorded phone call with her mother; as well as his damning testimony that he gave the drug Quaalude to women prior to sexual encounters.
