A Pennsylvania judge has set a date for Bill Cosby ’s felony sexual assault trial.
Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill said on Tuesday that the 79-old-actor would stand trial no later than June 5, 2017.
Andrea Constand alleges that Cosby drugged and molested her after inviting her to his Philadelphia home in 2004. Cosby has maintained the sex was consensual. At least 50 women have accused Mr. Cosby of sexual assault spanning three decades, but Constand’s is the only case that went to trial. The prosecution wants 13 of the women who claimed Cosby intoxicated and then assaulted them to testify to demonstrate a pattern of behavior.
The defense asked for a call between Cosby and Constand’s mom — where she asked him about the drugs he gave her daughter — dropped from evidence since Cosby was unaware he was being recorded and Pennsylvania has a two-party wiretap law. Cosby’s lawyers will also ask the trial be moved out of the county because the prosecutor cast Cosby as a sexual predator during his election campaign last year.
Cosby’s lawyers also told Judge O’Neill that their client is blind. Cosby was led into the courtroom on the arm of an aide. O’Neill said the court would accommodate and special needs during the trial. The actor also had a new legal team led by Philadelphia lawyer Brian McMonagle.
Lawrence Yee © 2016 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC