Entertainment icon Bill Cosby is preparing for another legal battle as his legal team prepares for a retrial against former Temple University athletics administrator Andrea Constand.
Enter The #MeToo Movement
Many media outlets and legal insiders believe that the #MeToo Movement will act as a specter in this Philadelphia-based legal proceeding. The #MeToo Movement could potentially play a role in influencing the jury.
Some believe that the potential jurors could be repulsed by the former Kids Say The Darndest Things emcee, while others might consider that Cosby was unfairly accused of this crime. USA Today reports that a dangerous potential juror to the defense could be someone that does not have a concrete opinion on Cosby, but is a staunch supporter of the #MeToo Movement.
Cosby's team has tried to convince Judge Steven O'Neill, who will preside over this case, that it would be hard to find an impartial jury. The group argued tha some potential jurors have heard about Cosby and several high-profile entertainers' accusations. However, Judge O'Neill turned down the request.
The Quaaludes Testimony Revoked?
On Friday, March 30, Judge O'Neill stated that he might not allow the jurors for the upcoming sexual assault retrial to hear a crucial piece of testimony. The Los Angeles Times reported that the testimony was Cosby's deposition regarding his controversial usage of Quaaludes that he allegedly gave to women. This critical piece of evidence was supposed to be used by Beverly Johnson and her legal team to paint the multi-Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian in a negative light. In the testimony, Cosby admitted that he used the drugs on a 19-year-old before he allegedly made love to her in the 1970s.
"This defendant is not on trial for what he said in his deposition," said O'Neill to the Los Angeles Times.
While the Cosby legal team might not need to worry about the Quaaludes testimony, five additional women will be called forward by the prosecution as character witnesses. The women were not allowed to testify during the first trial. If the prosecutors were able to use the Quaaludes testimony in this upcoming retrial, they might force Cosby to the witness stand. In his previous trial, Cosby did not participate in the cross-examination section of the trial.
Falls From Grace
During the period between the mistrial and the retrial, the entertainment industry experienced a massive sexual harassment and misconduct scandal that destroyed several high-profile men in the entertainment industry. The Metropolitan Opera fired 74-year-old conductor James Levine after its internal investigation found out that the celebrated musician sexually harassed numerous performers over his tenure at the classical music institute. Vanity Fair yanked James Franco off of its essential Hollywood issue following multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him. Former The Voice Australia coach Seal was also hit with an accusation after former neighbor actress Tracey Birdsall accused him of groping.
