Another woman files sex abuse lawsuit against Cosby, NBC
A woman who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1986 sued the comedian-actor, NBCUniversal and other companies Friday in New York, where five other women filed a similar lawsuit earlier this month. Stacey Pinkerton says she was a 21-year-old flight attendant and model that year when she claims Cosby drugged her at a restaurant in Illinois and took her back to a hotel room in Chicago. The lawsuit alleges Cosby “engaged in forced sexual intercourse” with her while she was incapacitated from the drugs.
news.yahoo.comMario Batali acquittal underscores perils of #MeToo cases
Bill Cosby was released from prison when his conviction that he drugged and assaulted a woman was overturned. Quarterback Deshaun Watson landed a record-setting $230 million contract, despite an investigation into allegations he assaulted 22 women. Celebrity chef Mario Batali was acquitted this week on just the second day of his sexual assault trial in Boston.
news.yahoo.comJudge dismisses Capitol riot obstruction charge against Jan. 6 defendant
A federal judge dismissed an obstruction charge against a man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, opting for a more narrow reading of federal obstruction law.Why it matters: The decision could affect hundreds of other Jan. 6 defendants facing a similar charge of obstruction.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe charge of "Obstruction of an Official Proceeding" appears 176 times in the Department of Justice's list
news.yahoo.comAppellate 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.
Cosby prosecutors urge Supreme Court to restore conviction
Prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, complaining the verdict was thrown out over a questionable agreement that the comic claimed gave him lifetime immunity. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele called the court's decision “an indefensible rule," predicting an onslaught of criminal appeals if it is allowed to stand.
news.yahoo.comMaxwell'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.
Jimmy Kimmel Destroys Bill Cosby for Defending R. Kelly
ABCBack in 2017, singer R. Kelly cast doubt on the dozens of rape allegations against comedian Bill Cosby, saying in an interview, “When you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it’s strange,” adding, “You know why I say that is because it happened to me, and it wasn’t true.”Now that Cosby has been released from prison after his conviction was overturned on a technicality, he has returned the favor, defending Kelly, who was finally convicted for sex crimes this week.W
news.yahoo.comCalifornia sues video game giant Activision Blizzard over ‘pervasive frat boy workplace culture’
The lawsuit alleges the company created a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination" by ignoring inappropriate workplace behavior and relegating women to low-ranking jobs with smaller salaries than their male counterparts.
washingtonpost.comCosby DA: Chief judge's TV interview 'fuels' misinformation
The lead prosecutor in Bill Cosby’s sex assault case believes the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overstepped its power in reversing the comedian’s conviction and added “fuel on the fire" when the chief justice gave a weekend television interview — and appeared to misstate the key issue in the appeal. Chief Justice Max Baer accused prosecutors of a “reprehensible bait and switch” in arresting Cosby in 2015 despite what he called the certain existence of a 2005 non-prosecution agreement. The ex-prosecutor who said he made the promise in 2005, Bruce Castor, waited until the case was reopened a decade later to tell the victim or anyone in his office about it, according to their testimony.
news.yahoo.comNaturi Naughton backs Phylicia Rashad after Bill Cosby outrage
Naturi Naughton is speaking out. In a recent Instagram post, the singer came to Phylicia Rashad‘s defense after her controversial post supporting Bill Cosby following his conviction was overturned last week. To much surprise, Bill Cosby’s conviction was overturned last week after serving over two years, as theGrio previously reported.
news.yahoo.comRashad 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.
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.
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.
Trump names 2 lawyers to impeachment defense team
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – Former president Donald Trump announced a new impeachment legal defense team Sunday, one day after it was revealed that he had parted ways with an earlier set of attorneys with just over a week to go before his Senate trial. AdThe announcement Sunday 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.
Rape charges denied by lawyer for ’70s Show’ actor Danny 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.
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.
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. Cosby, 83, was convicted of felony sex assault and is serving a three- to 10-year prison term. An appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case.