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U.S. NEWS Monday 19 June 2017

Cosby team triumphant, but sex crime retrial, lawsuits loom

pathetic young man sitting
between them. Other ju-
rors were harder to read.
“We get 12 people to
agree on sex assault cases
all the time, but this is not
any case. It’s an old case,
it’s a controversial case, it’s
a case that involves ques-
tions of consent,” said pro-
fessor Laurie Levenson, of
Loyola Law School.
She once served on a jury
where the foreperson was
the lone holdout for an ac-
quittal. She also recalled
a Los Angeles case where
an 11-1 vote to acquit in
the first trial ended with
a conviction the second
time around. She believes
the breakdown of the first
Cosby jury is important to
Andrew Wyatt raises his fist as Bill Cosby exits the Montgomery County Courthouse after a mistrial know, but perhaps not pre-
was declared in Norristown, Pa., Saturday, June 17, 2017. Cosby’s trial ended without a verdict dictive of how the second
after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision. trial might go.q
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
By MARYCLAIRE DALE that Cosby had ever been
MICHAEL R. SISAK offered a plea deal.
Associated Press The juror names remain
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — In shielded from the public
one of the more unusual under a protective order
scenes to play out at Bill that several news outlets
Cosby’s sexual assault trial, have challenged. Judge
the judge questioned Cos- Steven O’Neill could re-
by under oath as jury de- visit the issue as early as
liberations wore on to be Monday. He advised jurors
sure he knew the mistrial he when the trial ended, after
sought could lead to a sec- a week of testimony and
ond trial. 52 hours of deliberations,
Cosby, the actor and co- that they need not discuss
median known as “Amer- the case, even as the pub-
ica’s Dad,” turns 80 next lic debates whether age,
month facing just that or- race, gender or other issues
deal. Legal experts believe separated them.
prosecutors will reshape “It can never be clearer
their case for Round Two, that if you speak up, you
although it’s not yet clear could be chilling the justice
why jurors couldn’t reach system in the future if jurors
a verdict, or how close are needed in this case,”
they came. District Attor- O’Neill told them.
ney Kevin Steele could ask Criminal law professor Jody
the judge to let more of Armour wonders if the bit-
Cosby’s 60 accusers testify ter divide over social issues
or disclose to jurors that ac- that’s evident in American
cuser Andrea Constand is politics was at work in the
gay. That never came up jury room. “Social attitudes
in her seven hours of tes- in general affect what
timony. The defense had happens in criminal trials,
hoped, if it did, to intro- in rape cases. We can now
duce evidence she had wonder if a lot of those
previously dated a man. kinds of attitudes were at
“The key to retrying a case play in ... Bill Cosby’s rape
is to do it differently the case,” said Armour, who
second time, because the teaches at the University of
defense expects you to South California.
do it the same way,” said Two women jurors who ap-
Constand’s lawyer, Dolores peared to be in their 30s
Troiani. or 40s looked anguished
Constand is on board for when they announced
the retrial. And District At- the final deadlock, wip-
torney Kevin Steele on Sun- ing away tears with tissues
day denied a media report handed to them by a sym-