A male judge is about to make a huge decision about women in the Bill Cosby case
LatestIt’s just another Tuesday where a man gets to control women’s voices! A Pennsylvania judge, Steven O’Neill, will decide today whether he will allow 13 women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault to testify in an upcoming trial.
As NBC News points out, O’Neill’s ruling “will be the most important one yet.”
The case brought against Cosby is by Andrea Constand, who says the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004 at his Pennsylvania home. According to NBC, this is the only criminal case that has arisen from dozens of allegations of sexual assault against the actor, who has denied the accusations. And here’s why it’s so crucial other accusers get to testify:
Because there is only one accuser in the case, the prosecution’s success could depend on whether the so-called “prior bad act” witnesses are allowed to take the stand.
After today we’ll know whether or not these 13 women can take the stand. But there were many more who came forward and alleged that Cosby sexually assaulted them. Last year, New York Magazine put 35 known accusers on its cover and left an empty chair for the 11 other accusers who were not photographed for the story.
Vulture put together a timeline of all the sexual abuse charges against Cosby. And as we wait for this man judge to decide whether or not 13 of Cosby’s alleged survivors have the right to speak, I thought it was important to name all the women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault.
Collier Meyerson is a reporter at Fusion with a focus on race and politics. She lives in Brooklyn.