The Cosby Show Fame Bill Cosby Released From Prison; Pennsylvania Court Overturns Conviction-REPORT

The Cosby Show fame Bill Cosby has been released from prison following a decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. According to the report, on June 30, the court overturned the 2018 sexual assault conviction. He served more than two of his three-to-10 year sentence in a state prison near Philadelphia. Bill Cosby is known for starring in the 1980s TV show The Cosby Show. He was once known as “America’s Dad” as well. Over the years, several women accused Cosby publicly, however, he was tried criminally in the 2018 case incident.  

According to a report in E! News, the court said that the decision in Cosby’s case was made as a result of an agreement the actor made with a previous prosecutor that would have prevented him from being charged in the case. The court said, “When an unconditional charging decision is made publicly and with the intent to induce action and reliance by the defendant.” As per the report, the court also said, "and when the defendant does so to his detriment (and in some instances upon the advice of counsel), denying the defendant the benefit of that decision is an affront to fundamental fairness, particularly when it results in a criminal prosecution that was foregone for more than a decade." The court then noted that for these reasons, “Cosby's convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged."

On Wednesday, Bill Cosby took to his Twitter handle and tweeted, “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law. #BillCosby." He thanked the court for the judgement. Cosby thanked his fans and friends who have stood by him. 

Meanwhile, Cosby’s lawyer Andrew Wyatt also thanked the court for its judgement.

For the unversed, Bill Cosby was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting ex-basketball player Andrea Constand in 2004. He was sentenced in September 2018 by a Judge. Cosby was also ordered to pay 25, 000 dollars within the first 12 months, in addition to the cost of prosecution. He was granted an appeal in June 2020.