News stories about Bill Cosby always say the “alleged accusations,” taking pains to mention that Cosby has “never been convicted” on any charge of sexual assault. It’s a fact that stands in stark opposition to the number of accusers (more than 40 women) who say Cosby drugged and then raped them. Cosby has denied the accusations up and down. His lawyer has said the accusations have entered the “realm of the ridiculous.”
But it’s not true that all the accusations against Cosby have come to nothing. In fact Cosby settled a 2005 lawsuit filed by a woman who worked at Temple University, Cosby’s alma mater. The Associated Press is currently fighting to unseal testimony in that case — to potentially expose and corroborate more of the Cosby modus operandi. Cosby’s current lawyer, George Gowen, says that unsealing the testimony would be “embarrassing” to Cosby. He’s fighting it. Embarrassing? If that’s the worst result of what would be revealed, Cosby should be happy to do it. The things he’s accused of aren’t embarrassing, they’re criminal.
