Cosby, 80, best known as the lovable father from the 1980s TV hit “The Cosby Show,” faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts of aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand, who is now 45.
A Pennsylvania jury convicted comedian Bill Cosby on Thursday on all three counts of drugging and molesting a onetime friend in 2004, a decisive victory for prosecutors in one of the first celebrity s.e.xual-assault trials of the #MeToo era.
A former administrator for the women’s basketball team at Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater, Constand is one of about 50 women who has accused him of s.e.xual assault. All of the other allegations are believed to be too old to be prosecuted.
Cosby has said any s.e.xual encounters were consensual.
The first trial ended just before a flood of s.e.xual assault and harassment accusations against rich and powerful men in media, entertainment and politics gave rise to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Those high-profile revelations have encouraged women in all walks of life to go public with personal stories of abuse, in some cases after years of silence.
