Bill Cosby Sex Assault Trial to Begin
BILL COSBY SEX ASSAULT TRIAL 'WILL BE TEST CASE FOR FUTURE CLAIMS': EXPERTS
BY REUTERS ON 6/4/17 AT 9:31 AM
While dozens of women have leveled sexual assault allegations at comedian Bill Cosby, destroying his reputation as "America's dad," the question of whether he will be imprisoned will hang on the words of a single woman when his trial starts this week.
The outcome, taken together with the treatment of accuser Andrea Constand on the witness stand, may well affect whether women who have been sexually assaulted by powerful men seek prosecution, according to experts who study sex crimes.
"If he is acquitted, I think people will kind of shrink back, especially if the victim is treated really badly," said Aviva Orenstein, a law professor at Indiana University, who has studied sex crimes. But Jennifer Long, a former Pennsylvania prosecutor whose non-profit AEquitas advises prosecutors on sexual violence, said she is optimistic that the sight of Constand testifying against a major celebrity could inspire more women to come forward.
Constand, a former basketball player and coach at his alma mater Temple University, has accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her 13 years ago at his home in suburban Philadelphia.
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