Bill Cosby, who has been accused by more than 60 women of rape, sexual assault or other sexual misconduct, had his conviction overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday. Why did this happen? And what does it mean for survivors?
Helen Gumpel, a former actress and model who accused the comedian of making unwanted sexual advances and lewd gestures toward her in the 1980s, and Carmen Ortiz, former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, joined Jim Braude on Greater Boston to discuss.
“I wasn’t angry, but very disappointed,” Gumpel said.
But as she processed the news, Gumpel said her perspective evolved.
“This is one of the most powerful men in the nation, in the world, and a bunch of women got together — and we didn’t even ask for anything, we just wanted some kind of justice — and we got two years,” she said. “And he’s no longer known as 'America’s dad.' That’s pretty good.”
The conviction was ultimately overturned on a procedural issue: Cosby gave incriminating testimony in a civil suit in which it was agreed he would not be prosecuted. “Procedurally, they did make the right decision,” Ortiz said. “That prosecutor should be held to his word. It’s a fairness issue, it’s a due process issue.”
Crucially, the conviction was not overturned due to new evidence about Cosby’s conduct. “At the end of the day, this ruling did nothing to negate his culpability,” Ortiz said.
Charges were initially filed against Cosby in 2015, nearly two years before the #MeToo movement took off in fall 2017.
“We were the first. We broke ground,” said Gumpel. “That’s what it is when you break ground. You don’t get as much as you want, but you start it off. It was like an avalanche.”
“Everything’s changed,” she said, “and we should be very proud of that.”
WATCH: What does the Cosby’s overturned conviction mean?
