Bill Cosby has won a bid to overturn his sexual assault conviction.
According to CNN, Pennsylvania's highest court has agreed to review two aspects of Cosby's 2018 sex crime trial, in which he was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. The state's Supreme Court will look at Judge Steven T. O'Neill's decision to allow testimony from five other accusers of uncharged misconduct. Cosby's legal team argues these witnesses were unreliable and should have never appeared before the jury because their allegations were not part of the charges.
The court will also determine whether the disgraced comedian had a binding agreement with a former prosecutor who reassured Cosby he would not face criminal prosecution for the sexual assault allegations. As pointed out by CNN, former Montgomery County prosecutor Bruce Castor told Cosby he would not not file criminal charges as long as Cosby testified in a 2005 civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee who claims she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby. That case was ultimately settled out of court.
Cosby's representative said the 82-year-old was "extremely thankful" for the court's decision, and tied the legal victory to the ongoing outcries against racial injustice.
"America and the world is witnessing the 23rd day of protests regarding the abuse and murder of Black people, not just at the hands of corrupt police officers; but these extremely vital and important protests are exposing the corruption that lies within the criminal justice system (District Attorneys & Judges)," Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said in a statement. "As we have all stated, the false conviction of Bill Cosby is so much bigger than him—it's about the destruction of ALL Black people and people of color in America."
Cosby is now serving a three- to 10-year sentence at SCI (State Correctional Institution) Phoenix in Skippack Township, Pennsylvania.
