Supreme Court Upholds Decision to Set Bill Cosby Free From Prison in Sexual Assault Case

The Supreme Court will not hear the latest on the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby, marking a move that results in the upholding of a previous Pennsylvania decision to release the comedian.

Per a report from the Associated Press, the Supreme Court on Monday confirmed it will not hear an attempt from a prosecutor to appeal a prior state court ruling from last year. As previously reported, Cosby’s conviction in the case was thrown out in June 2021, paving the way for his release from prison.

Explained amid the ensuing discourse surrounding Cosby’s release last summer was that an agreement had been in place under which Cosby would not be prosecuted “for the incident involving [Andrea] Constand,” a deal which, at the time, was made to allow Cosby to be forced to testify in a civil action. During subsequent depositions, the Cosby Show star and co-creator made incriminating statements.

In 2018, Cosby was initially convicted on multiple counts of felony indecent aggravated assault in connection with drugging and molesting Constand. At the time of his sentencing that September, Cosby had been accused by at least 60 women of assault and harassment.

In response to the Supreme Court announcement, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele argued that asking them to look at the case remained “the right thing to do.” Constand, meanwhile, is expected to release a statement later on Monday.

In January, W. Kamau Bell’s We Need to Talk About Cosby docuseries premiered on Showtime. Speaking with Complex for an interview released that same month, Bell—who directed the miniseries—described the project as being “about trying to make the world a better place through the content that is in it.”