Bill Cosby had his conviction for sexual assault overturned by a Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday and was freed from prison, a dramatic reversal in a case that hadrepresented the first high-profile sexual assault trial to unfold in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement.
Cosby served three years of a three- to 10-year prison sentence at a maximum-security facility outside Philadelphia when the seven-member Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Cosby, 83, had been denied a fair trial in 2018.
Reaction has been mixed from the public. Amid the #metoo era, Cosby’s case was often touted as a ‘success.’
Cosby’s former TV wife took to Twitter to share her delight in the news.
FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected! pic.twitter.com/NrGUdwr23c
— Phylicia Rashad (@PhyliciaRashad) June 30, 2021
Moments later, she seemed to offer context to her tweet.
I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.
— Phylicia Rashad (@PhyliciaRashad) June 30, 2021
Others were not as favorable:
I GUESS 70 WOMEN WERENT ENOUGH – fuck u bill https://t.co/9dZUPzGx9U #WTF #RAPIST
— ROSIE (@Rosie) June 30, 2021
To every woman who was sexual assaulted by #BillCosby my heart hurts for you today and I am full fury. It’s horrifying.
— Debra Messing✍🏻 (@DebraMessing) June 30, 2021
Dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, including harassment, drugging and rape, dating back decades. Cosby has consistently disputed the allegations and maintained the relationships were consensual.
