Cierra Johnson | Staff Writer
Bill Cosby was once known around the world as a role model to African American families, as a loving father and husband of the Huxtable family on The Cosby Show. Cosby is now fighting a hard battle to gain back the positive reputation he once had.
On Wednesday, February 3, a judge refused to drop the indecent assault charges against Cosby. Following the decision, Cosby’s attorney, Monique Pressley said that the defense team will appeal the decision.
The judge has scheduled the preliminary hearing for March 8 to determine whether the prosecution has enough evidence to go before a jury.
Twelve years ago after the 2004 encounter between Cosby and a former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in his Philadelphia home, the statute of limitations has not yet run out.
The case was reopened when Cosby was charged on December 11 based on new evidence that had emerged. The district attorney initially declined to prosecute him back in 2004. Cosby’s lawyers argued in court that he is being wrongfully prosecuted.
According to ABC News, Cosby’s defense team stated in court that there are a few red flags with Bill Cosby’s accuser. Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. says he also found inconsistencies in former Temple University athletics employee Andrea Constand’s story.
Castor took the stand on Wednesday as part of a bid by Cosby’s lawyers to get the case against the TV star thrown out because of what they say is a non-prosecution agreement from Castor.
The current district attorney, Kevin Steele, says there is no record of an agreement of any kind.
Cosby’s lawyers are asking that the charges filed last year be dismissed because Castor announced in 2005 that Cosby would not be prosecuted. Castor said that he didn’t believe the case was strong enough for a conviction.
Castor testified Tuesday saying that, “Cosby was not getting prosecuted at all as far as I was concerned. I made the decision as the sovereign that Mr. Cosby would not be prosecuted, no matter what.” Castor also believes that in order for Andrea Constand to successfully sue Cosby, the criminal charges would need to be dismissed.
In a testimony Constand’s lawyer Dolores Troiani, said she was not aware of the 2005 decision or agreement that the state would never prosecute Cosby. If convicted, Cosby could face up to 10 years in prison. After being charged, Cosby was forced to turn over his passport, and his bail was set at $1 million. He was released from jail after posting 10 percent of the bail. This is the first criminal charge against Cosby, after more than 50 women have accused him of drugging and/or sexually assaulting them.
On Tuesday, February 2 in a separate case in California court, Chole Goins, now 24-years-old, dropped a civil suit against Cosby. Goins accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Manson in 2008 when she was only 16 years old. She filed a court document allowing the suit to be dismissed.
Cosby once served on Hampton University’s Board of Trustees. He no longer serves on the board as the university released a statement on Thursday, January 21. For decades, Bill Cosby supported Hampton University as a highly ranked institution of learning.
The Hampton Script 