Janice Dickinson, Who Accused Bill Cosby of Rape, Calls His Prison Release 'Not Fair': 'I'm Angry'
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Janice Dickinson, one of the multiple women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault and testified in Andrea Constand's now-overturned criminal case, is "angry" about him walking free.
News broke Wednesday that Cosby, 83, would be released from prison, his conviction overturned, an announcement that dealt a "psychic blow" to Dickinson, 66, when she found out.
"First of all, [I felt] so angry. So angry. Second, I felt like I was kicked in the stomach, in my abdomen, by some psychic blow," she told Entertainment Tonight, adding, "I'm angry they let him out over a procedural. That's basically all I have to say. I can't get into the legalese about it. I can only speak from my heart and say that the statute of limitations is not fair. It's just not fair."
"I was raped by Bill Cosby," claimed Dickinson, "and I know that it changed my life forever. That's why my heart goes out to all the women who started #MeToo after I first came out on your show [in 2014]. I just think people are ignorant."
Dickinson, a former model and America's Next Top Model judge, said in 2014 she was drugged and raped by Cosby more than 30 years before. Cosby denied the allegation. In 2015, Dickinson sued Cosby for defamation based on his response to her claims. They reached a settlement in 2019, according to USA Today.
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Mark Makela/Getty; Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty
Costand and five other women's testimony helped convince jurors to convict Cosby on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018. Cosby's defense denied the accusations, as well as similar allegations made against him outside the courtroom by more than 60 women.
The decision was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court because of an agreement he made with then-Montgomery County district attorney Bruce Castor in 2005 stating that if Cosby sat for a deposition in a civil case Constand had brought, he'd be immune from criminal prosecution. In that deposition, Cosby admitted he gave quaaludes to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
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Castor's successor Kevin Steele, however, brought criminal charges against Cosby in 2015, arresting him days before the statute of limitations expired. Steele used Cosby's admission in the deposition against him in the criminal trial.
In its judgment, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the decision to use Cosby's statements from his deposition against him deprived him of his Fifth Amendment rights. In addition to releasing Cosby from prison, the courts are prohibiting future criminal charges related to Constand's case.
Constand said in a statement Wednesday that the court's decision is "not only disappointing but of concern in that it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action."
Cosby, who served nearly three years of a 10-year sentence, spoke out Wednesday after being released from prison. He said in a statement shared on social media, "I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.