NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The Latest on Bill Cosby’s retrial on sexual assault charges (all times local):
12:40 p.m.
The judge in Bill Cosby’s retrial says he won’t rule on whether the comedian’s previous testimony about giving quaaludes to women before sex can be presented to the jury until the testimony is brought up at trial.
Judge Steven O’Neill hinted during a pretrial hearing in suburban Philadelphia Friday that he could keep the testimony out of the retrial scheduled to begin April 9.
He says that Cosby isn’t on trial for what he said in the deposition. The testimony was included in the first trial that ended with a hung jury.
Prosecutors contend Cosby’s quaaludes testimony is more evidence of his prior bad acts.
Defense lawyers say it’s irrelevant because there’s no evidence he gave his accuser the drug.
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12:10 p.m.
Bill Cosby’s lawyers say his April 9 sex assault retrial should be postponed if prosecutors are allowed to bring in more witnesses in a bid to bolster the accounts of five additional accusers who’ve been allowed to testify.
They argued in court papers on Friday that the 14 proposed supporting witnesses are irrelevant and would only further confuse and distract the jury. The witnesses include Dr. Drew Pinsky and book publisher Judith Regan.
Cosby’s lawyers said they were only told of these witnesses last week and would need more time to prepare if Judge Steven O’Neill allows them to testify.
Prosecutors said the defense knew about them earlier. They say it’s possible they might not call any of the supporting witnesses and that any who did testify would be brief.
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11 a.m.
The judge in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial is rapping prosecutors and defense lawyers for punctuating their pretrial arguments with statements that could sway potential jurors.
Judge Steven O’Neill on Friday told lawyers on both sides in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom to “stop with the judgmental, conclusory language.”
He says the language “has no place in the law.”
Lawyers are sparring over details that the jury will hear when the trial begins April 9.
Prosecutors want the judge to allow in testimony from the comedian about giving quaaludes to women before sex.
Defense lawyers want them to hear from a woman who says his accuser was out for money.
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10:30 a.m.
Bill Cosby’s lawyers say the comedian’s lurid deposition testimony about giving quaaludes to women before sex is irrelevant to his April 9 sex assault retrial because there’s no evidence he gave his accuser the drug.
Cosby’s lawyers are responding Friday to a prosecution request to have the testimony read to jurors, just as it was at the first trial that ended in a hung jury last year.
Cosby testified in 2005 and 2006 in Andrea Constand’s lawsuit against him. Her allegations of drugging and molestation in 2004 led to Cosby’s only criminal charges.
His lawyers argued prosecutors are trying to use the deposition and expected testimony from five additional accusers to distract jurors from the case at hand. Those women weren’t allowed to testify at the first trial.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
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10:10 a.m.
Prosecutors again want jurors to hear Bill Cosby’s lurid deposition testimony about giving quaaludes to a string of women before sex.
District Attorney Kevin Steele asked a judge Friday to let them read the testimony into the record at Cosby’s April 9 sex assault retrial, just as it was at the first one that ended in a hung jury last year.
Steele says the testimony, along with the testimonies of additional accusers, bolsters their plan to portray Cosby as a serial predator.
Cosby testified in 2005 and 2006 as part of a lawsuit filed against him by Andrea Constand, the woman whose allegations of drugging and molestation in 2004 led to the comedian’s only criminal charges.
Cosby admitted in the testimony he gave quaaludes to a 19-year-old before having sex in the 1970s.
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8:20 a.m.
Bill Cosby has arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the second day of pretrial hearings ahead of his retrial on sexual assault charges.
Cosby’s lawyers outlined their plan to portray the accuser at his sexual assault retrial as a greedy liar who framed the comedian to get rich at the first day of hearings on Thursday.
Judge Steven O’Neill could rule as early as Friday on whether the defense can call a witness who claims Andrea Constand spoke about falsely accusing a celebrity.
O’Neill also will decide how much jurors will hear about Cosby’s financial settlement with Constand.
The judge on Thursday rejected assertions made by Cosby’s lawyers that he could be seen as biased because his wife is a social worker who advocates for assault victims.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
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1 a.m.
Bill Cosby’s lawyers are honing their plan to portray the accuser at his sexual assault retrial as a greedy liar who framed the comedian to get rich.
Judge Steven O’Neill could rule as early as Friday on whether the defense can call a witness who claims Andrea Constand spoke about falsely accusing a celebrity.
O’Neill also will decide how much jurors will hear about Cosby’s financial settlement with Constand.
The judge on Thursday rejected assertions made by Cosby’s lawyers that he could be seen as biased because his wife is a social worker who advocates for assault victims.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
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