Bill Cosby is back in court, and as Deadline reports, this latest legal battle could result in a ten-year sentence for the former king of comedy.
Cosby’s been attending pre-trial proceedings for a cast that won’t begin until late May, in Allegheny County, New York; he’s been charged with sexual assault against a woman who was, at the time, a Temple University employee.
This is just one of over 60 women who have made similar claims against Cosby over the past few years – however, it’s the only criminal case against him. Cosby and his growing team of lawyers have been scrambling to get the suit dismissed since it was filed this past December, but apparently, they were unsuccessful, as jury selection is underway.
Deadline has some unsettling details from the hearings, that show Cosby clearly unconcerned with the severity of allegations against him:
Charged with three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand over 12-yers ago, the accused is required by state law to appear at all the hearings in the matter – as Cosby has done. As he also has in past hearings, the actor was chatting and laughing with members of his entourage both inside and outside the courtroom.
It seems Cosby won a minor victory – he was requesting to allow jurors from other jurisdictions, which the judge agreed to. However, if he’s found guilty of the assault, he could face up to a decade in prison — no minor sentence for a 79-year-old man.
