BILL COSBY

Bill Cosby suit to go to court CHELTENHAM, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 30: (L-R) Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, Bill Cosby, and spokesperson Andrew Wyatt speak outside of Bill Cosby's home on June 30, 2021 in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Bill Cosby was released from prison after court overturns his sex assault conviction. (Photo by Michael Abbott/Getty Images/Getty Images)Jury selection will begin Monday in California in a civil suit brought against Bill Cosby, alleging that he had groped a teenage girl at the Playboy Mansion nearly 50 years ago, USA Today reported. According to Huth’s suit, Cosby groped her in 1974 when she was 15 and visiting the Playboy Mansion. In 2015, Cosby was arrested in Pennsylvania on charges that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2004.

Plaintiff Judy Huth's attorneys said the change in her story came after research of archival evidence.

Bill Cosby FILE - Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa., on Sept. 25, 2018. Cosby gave a videotaped deposition early in the case, but will not be required to testify the trial. "Mr. Cosby is a guy who has never settled for anything in life, and he's not going to settle in this case," Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said after the hearing. Cosby, the groundbreaking Black actor and comedian, had been the first celebrity convicted of sexual assault in the #MeToo era. A barrage of such sexual assault allegations destroyed his image as “America’s Dad” and led to multimillion-dollar court settlements with at least eight women.

With less than a week to go before a civil trial, Bill Cosby's lawyers are crying foul over a change in the story of a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion.

Legal experts and victims’ advocates say celebrity chef Mario Batali’s acquittal on sexual assault charges underscores the inherent difficulties of prosecuting such cases nearly five years into the #MeToo era.

Bill Cosby was released from prison when his conviction that he drugged and assaulted a woman was overturned. Quarterback Deshaun Watson landed a record-setting $230 million contract, despite an investigation into allegations he assaulted 22 women. Celebrity chef Mario Batali was acquitted this week on just the second day of his sexual assault trial in Boston.

Comedian Jon Stewart says speculation about the future of comedy amid increased audience cultural sensitivity is ignoring a true and enduring threat: authoritarian governments around the world.

The Academy is facing criticism over the harshness of their Will Smith decision after comparison with their response to other members' behavior.

The Academy voted on Friday to sanction Smith after he slapped Chris Rock at the awards show.

A federal judge dismissed an obstruction charge against a man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, opting for a more narrow reading of federal obstruction law.Why it matters: The decision could affect hundreds of other Jan. 6 defendants facing a similar charge of obstruction.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe charge of "Obstruction of an Official Proceeding" appears 176 times in the Department of Justice's list

The U.S. Supreme Court quietly announced Monday that it would not review Bill Cosby's sexual assault case, leaving him a free man and ending a two-decade legal drama.

The Supreme Court announced it will not review Bill Cosby's sexual assault case, leaving him a free man and ending a two-decade legal drama.

The Supreme Court announced it will not review Bill Cosby's sexual assault case, leaving him a free man and ending a two-decade legal drama.

The Supreme Court is narrowing the reach of a federal law that strengthens penalties for career criminals found to illegally have a gun.

Supreme Court Bill Cosby FILE - This June 30, 2021, file photo shows Bill Cosby gesturing outside his home in Elkins Park, Pa., after being released from prison. The Supreme Court said Monday, March, 7, 2022, it will not take up the sexual assault case against Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania's highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year threw out Cosby's conviction, saying the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor's agreement not to charge Cosby. He was arrested in the Constand case on Dec. 30, 2015, just days before the 12-year statute of limitations was set to run out. Steele had reopened the case after The Associated Press went to federal court to unseal Cosby’s long-buried testimony in Constand’s lawsuit.

Supreme Court People stand on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, Feb.11, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) (Mariam Zuhaib)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up the sexual assault case against comedian Bill Cosby, leaving in place a decision by Pennsylvania's highest court to throw out his conviction and set him free from prison. The high court declined prosecutors' request to hear the case and reinstate Cosby's conviction. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year threw out Cosby's conviction, saying the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor's agreement not to charge Cosby. A jury had previously deadlocked in Cosby's case, resulting in a mistrial in 2017.

A spokesperson for Bill Cosby says the 84-year-old comedian is considering a final standup tour after the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not revive the sexual assault case against him.

To plead the Fifth or not to plead the Fifth.

Bill Cosby FILE - Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa., on Sept. 25, 2018. A lawyer for Cosby asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, to reject a bid by prosecutors to revive his criminal sex assault case. He said that any criminal charges would already have been filed. A barrage of sexual assault allegations later destroyed his image as “America’s Dad” and led to multimillion-dollar court settlements with at least eight women. The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault unless they speak publicly, as Huth and Constand have done.

A Los Angeles judge appears strongly inclined to allow Bill Cosby to invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege and avoid giving a deposition in the lawsuit of a woman who alleges he sexually abused her when she was 15 in the mid-1970s.

What to do with beloved men credibly accused of sexual assault is a hard question. Especially when it comes to Bill Cosby.

PHILADELPHIA — (AP) — A lawyer for Bill Cosby asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reject a bid by prosecutors to revive his criminal sex assault case. Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean says the case rests on a narrow set of facts that should not interest the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court accepts fewer than 1% of the petitions it receives. Legal scholars and victim advocates will be watching closely to see whether the Supreme Court takes an interest in the case. The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault unless they speak publicly, as Constand has done.

Bill Cosby has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a bid by prosecutors to revive his criminal sex assault case.

Dispatches from the Sundance Film Festival are usually accompanied by descriptions of the looming mountains, snowy premieres and frantic bus shuttles.

For the second year in a row, the Utah-based festival is a virtual event, with world premiere documentaries and narrative films streaming online. Here are some of the early highlights.

The 44th annual Sundance Film Festival is back, and entirely online once more.

Jason Momoa and wife Lisa Bonet have ended their 16-year relationship.

Sidney Poitier made history — on the screen and off.

A New York appeals court has excoriated Manhattan prosecutors for filling out Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial last year with what one judge deemed “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from women whose allegations weren’t part of the criminal charges against him.

Sundance This image released by Netflix shows Kanye West in a scene from the documentary "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy." The film will premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. (Netflix via AP) (Uncredited)The Sundance Film Festival is returning to the Utah mountains in January armed with documentaries about Bill Cosby, Princess Diana, Kanye West and Lucille Ball and the directorial debuts of Eva Longoria, Tig Notaro and Jesse Eisenberg. Festival organizers unveiled the lineup for the 2022 edition on Thursday, which includes 82 feature-length films culled from over 3,700 submissions. Festival director Tabitha Jackson says the Cosby doc is, “A real cultural analysis of what happened.”“Lucy and Desi,” which marks Amy Poehler’s documentary debut, and “The Princess” from director Ed Perkins are also in the lineup.

The Sundance Film Festival is returning to the Utah mountains in January armed with documentaries about Bill Cosby, Princess Diana, Kanye West and Lucille Ball as well as the directorial debuts of Eva Longoria, Tig Notaro and Jesse Eisenberg.

The district attorney who put former comedian Bill Cosby in prison in 2018 has filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate his conviction.

Bill Cosby is a free man, released after his guilty verdict was thrown out. Prosecutors, however, want the comedian’s conviction reinstated and are asking the Supreme Court to review a lower court’s ruling. Cosby’s lawyers said their client believed a promise that he would not face charges when he testified during a civil case. In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Kevin Steele filed the petition with the U.S. Supreme Court last week. A decision on whether the court will consider the case will not be released for months, the AP reported.

"This decision as it stands will have far-reaching negative consequences beyond Montgomery County and Pennsylvania," prosecutors said.

"This decision as it stands will have far-reaching negative consequences beyond Montgomery County and Pennsylvania," prosecutors said.

The prosecutors who brought Cosby to a conviction in 2018 — and then saw him freed earlier this year — are asking the Supreme Court to throw out a state court's ruling.

A Pennsylvania court overturned Cosby's conviction and freed him from prison, a ruling that the Montgomery County DA called a "grievous wrong."

Prosecutors have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.

Prosecutors asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, complaining the verdict was thrown out over a questionable agreement that the comic claimed gave him lifetime immunity. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele called the court's decision “an indefensible rule," predicting an onslaught of criminal appeals if it is allowed to stand.

The brother of a British socialite charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls says her prosecution is “the most over-hyped trial of the century,” designed to break a woman targeted by authorities who are desperate to blame someone for the late financier’s crimes.

Comedian Mort Sahl has died.

PHILADELPHIA — A prominent accuser of Bill Cosby filed a civil suit in federal court on Thursday, alleging that the actor-comedian raped and imprisoned her at an Atlantic City hotel in 1990. Lili Bernard has filed a civil lawsuit against Bill Cosby. “When Bill Cosby was released, it retraumatized me, it terrified me. >> Bill Cosby released from prison after sex assault conviction overturnedAccording to court documents, attorneys for Bernard alleged Cosby coerced her to travel to Atlantic City from New York City with the promise of helping her with her acting career, KYW reported. She was 26 at the time of the alleged assault.

ABCBack in 2017, singer R. Kelly cast doubt on the dozens of rape allegations against comedian Bill Cosby, saying in an interview, “When you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it’s strange,” adding, “You know why I say that is because it happened to me, and it wasn’t true.”Now that Cosby has been released from prison after his conviction was overturned on a technicality, he has returned the favor, defending Kelly, who was finally convicted for sex crimes this week.W

Melvin Van Peebles, a Broadway playwright, musician and movie director whose work ushered in the “blaxploitation” films of the 1970s, has died.

If leaving the storied role of “The Tonight Show” host mandates retirement, Jay Leno ignored the memo.

For decades, Black writers and producers have had to tell stories that fit what white executives deemed “authentic.” Can a new generation finally change that?

Bill Cosby Constand Memoir FILE - This combination of file photos shows Andrea Constand, left, walking to the courtroom during Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial June 6, 2017, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa.; and Bill Cosby, right, arriving for his sexual assault trial June 16, 2017, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. Cosby, after spending nearly three years in prison, walked free in June when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction. Prosecutors in suburban Philadelphia must decide this month whether to appeal the decision to the U.S Supreme Court. “Now that I have weathered yet another strange turn in this long saga, I realize that I cannot let reversals like the (Pennsylvania) Supreme Court decision defeat me. As she waited for the jury decision in 2018, she writes, “The outcome of the trial seemed strangely unimportant.

Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand has penned a memoir out Tuesday that offers a view from her seat at the center of a high-profile #MeToo case.

A judge dismissed the case against Shnipes last year, ruling that state prosecutors were bound by a 2013 agreement in which county prosecutors promised Shnipes he would not face charges if he resigned. Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the Cosby decision set a precedent that left him no choice but to drop the case against Shnipes. One of the guards initially named by the grand jury sued Shapiro this year, accusing him of malicious prosecution after the case was ultimately dropped. One inmate “did what she thought has had to do in order to survive,” the grand jury said. A third said she “felt so ashamed and disgusted that she attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself in her cell," the grand jury said.

The company announced it parted ways with three employees Wednesday as Blizzard faces a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.

Since its launch in 2017, the #MeToo movement has experienced some fits and starts.

Sunni Welles FILE PHOTO Sunni Welles (L) speaks during a news conference with attorney Gloria Allred (R) March 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Welles, who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault when she was 17, died this week at the age of 72. In 2015, Welles accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault stemming from an incident in the 1960s when she was 17 years old. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 153 Sunni Welles FILE PHOTO Sunni Welles (L) speaks during a news conference with attorney Gloria Allred (R) March 27, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. Welles, who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault when she was 17, died this week at the age of 72.

A documentary featuring actor-comedian Bill Cosby has been shelved, according to a report. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30 overturned the sexual assault conviction of Cosby, 83, due to an agreement made with a previous prosecutor that prevented him from being charged in the case. Lionsgate’s Bill Cosby Documentary Is Dead (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/EsCqqm05QY — Variety (@Variety) July 30, 2021A spokesperson for Lionsgate did not respond to Variety’s request for comment, nor did he answer questions about the project itself, such as who its producers and director were. Cosby was convicted in 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. A jury decided that Cosby drugged and molested Andrea Constand, who then worked as the director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

The lawsuit alleges the company created a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination" by ignoring inappropriate workplace behavior and relegating women to low-ranking jobs with smaller salaries than their male counterparts.

Bill Cosby, who was released early on June 30, received more jail time than most accused of, or found guilty of, sexual assault.

Who can justify banning a simple, proven way of producing accurate journalism?

It's a year of diversity and firsts in the nominations for the 73rd Emmy Awards.

The lead prosecutor in Bill Cosby’s sex assault case believes the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overstepped its power in reversing the comedian’s conviction and added “fuel on the fire" when the chief justice gave a weekend television interview — and appeared to misstate the key issue in the appeal. Chief Justice Max Baer accused prosecutors of a “reprehensible bait and switch” in arresting Cosby in 2015 despite what he called the certain existence of a 2005 non-prosecution agreement. The ex-prosecutor who said he made the promise in 2005, Bruce Castor, waited until the case was reopened a decade later to tell the victim or anyone in his office about it, according to their testimony.

A conviction can represent justice to survivors of sexual assault, psychologist and trauma expert Dr. Shauna Springer told Insider.

The pandemic hasn't slowed down two of the most prominent #MeToo attorneys, who say they're having their busiest year ever.

Despite sexual misconduct allegations from 60 women, a recently released Bill Cosby is "exuberant" and ready to get back onstage, his publicist says.

The chairs of the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee will introduce a bill that requires the state to write down and enforce non-prosecution agreements reached during criminal investigations.

Bill Cosby's overturned conviction a blow to survivors of sexual assault.

Naturi Naughton is speaking out. In a recent Instagram post, the singer came to Phylicia Rashad‘s defense after her controversial post supporting Bill Cosby following his conviction was overturned last week. To much surprise, Bill Cosby’s conviction was overturned last week after serving over two years, as theGrio previously reported.

Women didn’t believe me, either.

The comedian defended Rashad's freedom of speech after the actress came under criticism for defending Cosby after his sexual assault conviction was overturned.

Phylicia Rashad tweeted her joy at co-star Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction being overturned.

Rashad sent out a controversial Tweet in support of her onetime “TV husband” Cosby, after a court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

Students at Howard University are already calling for Phylicia Rashad's resignation as dean. David Becker/Getty Images for The Blackhouse FoundationFor acclaimed actor Phylicia Rashad, July 1, 2021 was the official first day on the job as dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. But some hoped it would also be her last. The day before, Rashad had sent out a controversial Tweet in support of her onetime “TV husband,” Bill Cosby, after a court overturned his sexual assault conviction

Geraldo Rivera approved of Bill Cosby's release from prison after "grotesquely unfair" proceedings, adding that Harvey Weinstein may be next.

Xavier Dominique Davis was taken into custody on an unrelated family violence charge. The family he's accused of killing was murdered execution-style, police said.

Actress Phylicia Rashad received a great deal of criticism for sending a tweet on Wednesday in support of Bill Cosby‘s sexual assault conviction being overturned earlier this week and his subsequent release from prison. Rashad, who earlier this year was appointed dean of Howard University’s reestablished fine arts department, has now written an apology letter to university students and their parents regarding her message, according to a CNN report.

Rashad was named the dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University in May.

The public outcry over Bill Cosby’s sudden release from prison, where he was serving a sentence for criminal sexual assault, was swift, with #MeToo activists worried it would have a chilling effect on sexual assault survivors.

Phylicia Rashad has found herself embroiled in controversy after expressing public support for Bill Cosby’s release from prison, with some prominent Black voices calling for her dismissal as dean of Howard University's College of Fine Arts.

When Bill Cosby went to prison nearly three years ago, it was the most stunning development yet of the year-old #MeToo movement.

Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction has been thrown out by Pennsylvania’s highest court, which ruled that he was unfairly prosecuted because a previous district attorney had promised he wouldn't be charged.

Bill Cosby has been freed from prison after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

Clarence Williams III, who played the cool undercover cop Linc Hayes on the counterculture series “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” has died.

Actor Bill Cosby has been denied parole after refusing to participate in sex offender programs during his nearly three years in state prison in Pennsylvania.

A woman testified that she was five years into a relationship with actor Danny Masterson when he began having sex with her while she slept, as he often did.

A woman testified that she was slipping in and out of consciousness on a night 18 years ago when she said actor Danny Masterson raped her.

More than a half century late, Jackson State University, in Mississippi, is honoring its Class of 1970.

He argued that Trump could not have — and would not have — encouraged the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. “We’re really here because majority in the House of Representatives does not want to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future. AdHis reemergence as an impeachment lawyer for Trump was a head-scratching moment for Pennsylvania's political and legal world. He had not campaigned for Trump, and a longtime friend, Brian Miles, told the Inquirer that the two men had never discussed Trump before Castor mentioned recently that he was up for the job. For all the criticism directed at him, Castor suggested that Trump did not criticize his performance.

Since losing the November election to President Joe Biden, Trump has been hemorrhaging attorneys. Trump's impeachment lawyers started off their defense by misspelling the words “United States” in their brief. Navarro told The Associated Press that he “warned the president that his legal team was going to fail him." Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Trump’s team did a “terrible job." AdBut after impeachment, Trump's legal needs will likely accelerate, with the investigations in New York, Georgia and possibly Washington, D.C., where prosecutors will have the power of subpoena.

Former President Trump has named two lawyers to his impeachment defense team, one day after it was revealed that the former president had parted ways with an earlier set of attorneys. AdThe announcement was intended to promote a sense of stability surrounding the Trump defense team as his impeachment trial nears. Trump’s team had initially announced that Butch Bowers, a South Carolina lawyer, would lead his legal team after an introduction from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. Many legal scholars, however, say there is no bar to an impeachment trial despite Trump having left the White House. Schoen met with financier Jeffrey Epstein about joining his defense team on sex trafficking charges just days before Epstein killed himself in a New York jail.

Attorney Tom Mesereau entered the plea for the 44-year-old actor, who was not in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear. Prosecutors allege that he raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April of 2003, and a 23-year-old woman between October and December of 2003, all at his Hollywood Hills home. Defense lawyer Tom Mesereau entered the plea for Masterson, who was not present in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear in Los Angeles County Superior Court. All of the alleged rapes happened at his Hollywood Hills home. The alleged rapes happened at the height of Masterson’s fame as he starred as Steven Hyde on Fox TV's retro sitcom “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006 alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.

Now the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to hear his appeal of the conviction on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020. The arguments will focus on the trial judge's decision to let five other accusers testify for the prosecution. Cosby, 83, hopes to overturn his 2018 sex assault conviction because the judge let prosecutors call five other accusers who said Cosby mistreated them the same way he did his victim, Andrea Constand. Judge Steven T. O'Neill had allowed just one other accuser to testify at Cosby's first trial in 2017, when the jury could not reach a verdict. O'Neill then let five other accusers testify at Cosby's retrial in 2018, when the jury convicted him of drugging and sexually assaulting Constand.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A newly released prison mug shot shows Bill Cosby smiling with a disposable mask hanging off his face. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recently updated Cosby’s mug shot, something routinely done to document changes to inmates' appearance as they age. Cosby's new photo was taken Sept. 4. It was accompanied by text that said: “This photo was taken by his publicist, Andrew Wyatt, during his first virtual video conference call with Mr. Cosby last week. An appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case.

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear Bill Cosby's appeal of his felony sex assault conviction on Dec. 1. A lower appeals court had upheld his conviction, but the state's high court agreed this year to review two key issues in the case. The high court will also consider whether the jury should have heard evidence that Cosby had given quaaludes to women in the past. Dozens of women have come forward over the years to accuse Cosby of sexual assault, and the trial judge deemed him a sexually violent predator. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are sexual assault victims without their permission, which Constand has granted.

Actor Danny Masterson, left, stands with his attorney, Thomas Mesereau as he is arraigned on rape charges at Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (Lucy Nicholson/Pool Photo via AP)

Actor Danny Masterson, left, stands with his attorney, Thomas Mesereau as he is arraigned on rape charges at Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. “There have been repeated attempts to politicize this case,” said Mesereau, who also represented Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson in their sexual misconduct cases. “We want to do anything we can to tone down the cameras and the circus-like atmosphere that have pervaded this case," the attorney said. Despite dozens of investigations, most have led to no charges based on lack of evidence or too much time passing. He was removed from the Netflix show “The Ranch” in 2017 over the allegations that would eventually lead to the charges.

PHILADELPHIA – Legal advocates are lining up on both sides of actor Bill Cosby’s appeal as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court prepares to review his 2018 sex assault conviction. Cosby was the first celebrity to go on trial in the #MeToo era, and his appeal could resolve lingering questions about how the cases should be tried. Public defenders in Philadelphia, in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in Cosby's appeal, noted that courts have given conflicting guidance on the issue. The other groups filing legal briefs in the appeal include the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. Cosby’s trial judge, Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill, said their testimony did just that, even if it occurred a decade or two before Constand's encounter.

A judge on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, denied Polanski's request to restore his membership into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that bestows the Academy Awards two years after he was expelled from it for raping a minor. The fugitive film director sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the organization to make him a member in good standing again. (AP Photo/File)LOS ANGELES A judge on Tuesday denied Roman Polanski's request to restore his membership in the organization that bestows the Academy Awards two years after he was expelled from it for raping a minor. The fugitive film director sued in April 2019, asking the court to compel the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make him a member in good standing again. His art will survive long after the academy is a forgotten relic.An email seeking comment from academy officials wasn't immediately returned.

“We fully support Gayle King and her integrity as a journalist,” CBS News President Susan Zirinsky told The Associated Press. “We find the threats against her or any journalist doing their job reprehensible.”CBS would not discuss the nature of any private threats against King. Her friend, Oprah Winfrey, said in an NBC interview that King had received death threats and was traveling with security. “You come against Gayle King, you come against an army,” R ice wrote. “You will lose, and it won't be pretty.”On Saturday, Snoop Dogg posted a message on his Instagram that said he meant King no harm.

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Oprah Winfrey says her friend Gayle King is facing death threats following a social media backlash caused by an interview with retired WNBA star Lisa Leslie that concerned the late Kobe Bryant. On an appearance on “Hoda & Jenna & Friends” on Friday, Winfrey said King “is not doing well'' and has to travel with security because of threats. In the clip, King asks Leslie whether the 2003 case made Bryant's legacy complicated for her. Critics lashed out at King on social media for bringing up the old allegations. "I can see how people would obviously be very upset if you thought that Gayle was just trying to press to get an answer from Lisa Leslie,” Winfrey continued.