Bill Cosby was recently charged with sexual assault in Pennsylvania. This came in the wake of various women coming forward with allegations of sexual assault against the comedian. He then filed a motion to dismiss these charges.
NBC Philadelphia says that Comedian Bill Cosby has filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault charges against him and disqualify the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office from his case.
In the same report, Cosby claimed that the charges against him were "illegally, improperly and unethically brought" by Kevin Steele, the Montgomery County District Attorney. The report further states that Cosby's lawyers are accusing Steele of eyeing a win in the Montgomery County District Attorney election and using this case to "fullfil campaing promises".
These charges stem from allegations made by ex-Temple University employee Andrea Constand, USA Today reported. The comedian was charged and booked last December 30 based on Ms. Constand's accusation that she was drugged and assaulted by the comedian last 2004. A court date in the case has been set for February 2, 2016.
Meanwhile, Cosby's spokeswoman lawyer Monique Pressley has filed a writ for habeas corpus to shed and light their motion to dismiss. Miss Pressley has revealed the charges filed against Mr. Cosby violate a 2005 agreement between her client and the then-district attorney. She says that the agreement was made so that Cosby can testify in Constand's civil suit without fear of incriminating himself.
Ms. Pressly further stressed that charges against her client should be dismissed on due process as ten years have already passed since the allegation was made. She plans to have the entire District Attorney's office barred from making further involvement in this prosecution. This is due to the repeated violation of rules and the case's entanglement in a political campaign.
As confirmed by TIME, among the dozens of women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assualt, this is the first time he has been charged criminally. Despite efforts made to contact the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, it has yet to issue a comment.
The ramifications of these charges has caused the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., to rescind the honorary doctorage degree it awarded to Mr. Cosby in 1997. The university initially decied to let Mr. Cosby keep the degree when the allegations first surfaced. They recently made an about-face decision and officially rescinded the degree.
