(Reuters) – Reaction to Bill Cosby being freed from prison on Wednesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction ranged from outrage to cheers. Here are some of those voices:
– “My heart especially goes out to those who bravely testified in both of his criminal cases,” lawyer Gloria Allred, who represented many of the women who testified against Cosby, said in a statement. “This was an important fight for justice and even though the court overturned the conviction on technical grounds, it did not vindicate Bill Cosby’s conduct and should not be interpreted as a statement or a finding that he did not engage in the acts of which he has been accused.”
– “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” actress Phylicia Rashad, best known for her role playing Cosby’s wife in the television sitcom “The Cosby Show,” wrote on Twitter.
– “THIS is why women do not come forward,” writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused former President Donald Trump of raping her decades ago, wrote on Twitter above a news story about Cosby’s conviction being overturned. Trump denies the allegation.
– “We are deeply disappointed in today’s ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and by the message this decision sends to the brave survivors who came forward to seek justice for what Bill Cosby did to them. This is not justice,” Scott Berkowitz, president of RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), said in a statement.
– “I just really think it’s a slap in the face to all of the victims,” lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represented several of Cosby’s accusers, told CNN. She said she was “absolutely disgusted and shocked” by the court decision and accused prosecutors of making “a sweetheart” deal with Cosby.
– “I am furious to hear this news,” actress Amber Tamblyn, who has spoken publicly about being sexually assaulted, wrote on Twitter. “I personally know women who this man drugged and raped while unconscious. Shame on the court and this decision.”
– “My heart is with my sister survivors,” actress Rosanna Arquette, who has said she resisted unwanted sexual advances by Harvey Weinstein, wrote on Twitter. She said she was “heartbroken” by news of Cosby’s release. “We have work to do.”
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Joseph Ax; writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Alistair Bell)
