Cosby lawyers portray accuser as ‘con artist’ seeking payout

Bill Cosby’s defense lawyer told a jury on Tuesday that accuser
Andrea Constand was a “con artist” out to extort money from the
famed comedian, saying she concocted a false story of sexual
assault to pay for her education and set up a business.

“She was madly in love with his fame and money. She’s now a
multimillionaire because she pulled it off,” defense attorney
Thomas Mesereau said of Andrea Constand, 44, who won a $3.4 million
settlement from Cosby in a civil lawsuit in 2006.

The 80-year-old entertainer, once known as the wise and witty
father in the 1980s television hit “The Cosby Show,” is facing his
second trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on charges of drugging
and sexually assaulting Constand in 2004. Last year his first trial
ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict.

Some 50 women have accused Cosby of assault, many of them
alleging, as Constand did, that he slipped drugs into their drinks.
All the accusations other than Constand’s were too old to be the
subject of criminal prosecution.

Cosby has denied wrongdoing, saying any sexual contact was
consensual. If convicted of aggravated indecent assault, he could
face up to 10 years in prison.

Unlike in the first trial, jurors in this case were told Cosby
agreed to the $3.4 million settlement in 2006. Both sides had
wanted to divulge the payout. Prosecutors could seek to portray it
as an admission of guilt, while defense lawyers could argue it
bolsters their cases that Constand was seeking a big payout.

The defense was also allowed in this trial to present evidence
that Constand told a friend, Margo Jackson, in 2004 it would be
easy to set up a celebrity on a fictitious sexual assault
charge.

In opening arguments on Tuesday, Mesereau said Cosby was lonely
and vulnerable at the time, having never recovered from the 1997
murder of his son, Ennis, by a street punk in Los Angeles. He was
also traumatized by an unsuccessful extortion attempt by a young
woman who claimed to be his daughter and demanded $40 million.

Even after the alleged assault in January 2004, Constand called
Cosby as many as 60 times and visited his home alone, said
Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child
molestation charges.

“We welcome the opportunity for truth to get out,” Mesereau
said. “Finally, Mr. Cosby gets his day in court. It is brutal for
him. He’s blind. He’s 80 years old.”

reuters

Bill Cosby’s defense lawyer told a jury on Tuesday that accuser
Andrea Constand was a “con artist” out to extort money from the
famed comedian, saying she concocted a false story of sexual
assault to pay for her education and set up a business.

“She was madly in love with his fame and money. She’s now a
multimillionaire because she pulled it off,” defense attorney
Thomas Mesereau said of Andrea Constand, 44, who won a $3.4 million
settlement from Cosby in a civil lawsuit in 2006.

The 80-year-old entertainer, once known as the wise and witty
father in the 1980s television hit “The Cosby Show,” is facing his
second trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on charges of drugging
and sexually assaulting Constand in 2004. Last year his first trial
ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict.

Some 50 women have accused Cosby of assault, many of them
alleging, as Constand did, that he slipped drugs into their drinks.
All the accusations other than Constand’s were too old to be the
subject of criminal prosecution.

Cosby has denied wrongdoing, saying any sexual contact was
consensual. If convicted of aggravated indecent assault, he could
face up to 10 years in prison.

Unlike in the first trial, jurors in this case were told Cosby
agreed to the $3.4 million settlement in 2006. Both sides had
wanted to divulge the payout. Prosecutors could seek to portray it
as an admission of guilt, while defense lawyers could argue it
bolsters their cases that Constand was seeking a big payout.

The defense was also allowed in this trial to present evidence
that Constand told a friend, Margo Jackson, in 2004 it would be
easy to set up a celebrity on a fictitious sexual assault
charge.

In opening arguments on Tuesday, Mesereau said Cosby was lonely
and vulnerable at the time, having never recovered from the 1997
murder of his son, Ennis, by a street punk in Los Angeles. He was
also traumatized by an unsuccessful extortion attempt by a young
woman who claimed to be his daughter and demanded $40 million.

Even after the alleged assault in January 2004, Constand called
Cosby as many as 60 times and visited his home alone, said
Mesereau, who successfully defended Michael Jackson against child
molestation charges.

“We welcome the opportunity for truth to get out,” Mesereau
said. “Finally, Mr. Cosby gets his day in court. It is brutal for
him. He’s blind. He’s 80 years old.”

reuters