Always a pleasure to be straightened out by an expert, especially a legal expert.
pendennis wrote:
Before he sees a day of prison time, there are a couple of things in play:
His attorney will appeal the verdict well within the allotted time. There were some egregious errors committed by the trial judge, one of which is allowing five witnesses to testify as to prior "bad acts" for which there was no trial or public adjudication. Those women, in effect provided hearsay, or "he said, she said" testimony. That's hardly allowed in civil court, and in most states is not allowed in criminal court trials. Their statements are not corroborated. Even if Cosby is not successful in the Pennsylvania state court system, his attorney can always go to the nearest Federal court and file an appeal on the basis of a violation of his civil rights, probably under the 5th, 6th, and maybe 14th Amendments.
The reporters have all stated that Cosby could serve 30 years in prison. Highly unlikely. Most multiple convictions are served concurrently, so his prison time would likely be 10 years, at most. Cosby is a first time offender, and they seldom serve maximum sentences.
Is Cosby guilty? Quite sure he is, but the Courts are criminal process, not moral, establishments; so don't look for any "aha!" or "come to Jesus" moments.
Before he sees a day of prison time, there are a c... (
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