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 The 83-year-old comedian and
actor was freed on Wednesday after
Pennsylvania's highest court overturned a 2018
verdict that found him guilty of sexual assault.
Activists, who had celebrated his conviction as
a watershed moment, strongly condemned the new
decision.
"When the system disregards dozens of accusers
in a situation like this - because of a
technical loophole, not because of the proof
that led to sentencing - it creates the
perception that it's 'not worth it' for victims
to come forward," said a statement from Women in
Film, a nonprofit group that advocates for equal
opportunity in entertainment.
The group called on "everyone in a position of
power in the screen industries to put an end to
the culture of silence and acceptance that
allowed Cosby to prey on so many women."
Time's Up, an organization founded in 2018 after
allegations of sexual assault and rape by
producer Harvey Weinstein, said Cosby's
survivors "came forward with great courage
against a powerful man at great personal risk."
The Time's Up Legal Defense Fund has assisted
more than 5,000 people with sexual harassment or
discrimination claims in the past three years,
from restaurant workers to hotel staff and
security guards, said Tina Tchen, CEO and
president of the Time's Up Foundation.
Two-thirds of them were women working in
low-wage jobs.
"We hope this (Cosby ruling) does not deter
other survivors from speaking out because we
need to build better accountability measures and
ways to hold perpetrators accountable," Tchen
said. "But it's hard when you see results like
this happen."
Cosby had been found guilty of drugging and
molesting Andrea Constand, an employee at his
alma mater Temple University, in his home in
2004.
More than 50 women had accused Cosby of multiple
sexual assaults over nearly five decades, but
Constand's allegations were the only ones that
were not too old to allow for criminal charges.
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 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court
found that Cosby should not have faced charges
after striking a non-prosecution deal with a
district attorney more than 15 years ago. He was
released after serving more than two years of a
three- to 10-year sentence.
After his release, Cosby posted a statement on
Twitter, saying "I have never changed my stance
nor my story. I have always maintained my
innocence."Constand and her attorneys said the
conviction's reversal was "not only
disappointing but of concern that it may
discourage those who seek justice for sexual
assault in the criminal justice system from
reporting or participating in the prosecution of
the assailant."
Cosby's conviction came just months after
reports about Weinstein surfaced. Those accounts
helped fuel the #MeToo movement of women
speaking about sexual harassment and assault and
the ouster of powerful men in politics, media
and other industries.
Weinstein is serving a 23-year prison term
following his 2020 conviction in Manhattan of
sexual assault and third-degree rape. He is
awaiting extradition to Los Angeles to face
additional charges.
Anita Hill, the attorney who accused Supreme
Court Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual
harassment in 1991, said the Cosby ruling showed
how "failures in our criminal justice system
make accountability for sexual assault
impossible."
"Systems that ensure accountability for powerful
abusers, protect workers and prevent agreements
that shield abusers are urgently needed in
entertainment and other industries," said Hill,
who chairs the Hollywood Commission, a group
founded in 2017 to tackle abuse and power
disparities in the industry.
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represented three of
Cosby's accusers, said she advises sexual
assault victims that "the system still massively
favors the rich and powerful." "You need a superhuman level of strength and
courage," Bloom said on Twitter. "Luckily many
victims have it. Any other Cosby victims, time
to come forward!"
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Diane
Craft)
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