VRLC Statement – Lawyers for Sexual Assault Survivors Respond to Cosby’s Release
July 1, 2021
VRLC Statement – Lawyers for Sexual Assault Survivors Respond to Cosby’s Release
Victim Rights Law Center was saddened, but not surprised yesterday when once again the criminal justice system failed to provide justice for sexual assault survivors. We are enraged and heartbroken on behalf of the women who bravely stepped forward to describe how Bill Cosby victimized them in a court of law. We stand with the millions of sexual assault survivors impacted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision to vacate Cosby’s 2018 conviction of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
As attorneys who represent rape and sexual assault survivors, we are all too familiar with the significant procedural and structural flaws in the criminal justice system. We know too well how rare it is for sexual assault survivors to achieve justice in our courts, particularly when compared to other serious crimes. This makes the appellate court’s decision even more crushing. From our experience representing survivors, we fear that yesterday’s ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will discourage fewer survivors come forward for help and report the violence they have experienced. This decision contributes to silencing victims.
In 2018, Victim Rights Law Center presented its Leadership Award to Kristen Gibbons Feden. We admired her stellar efforts to convict Bill Cosby then and now, and she and the victims are in our thoughts today. We remain grateful for her fearlessness and her compassion for survivors. We stand with Andrea Constand and all the women who took the stand and faced their perpetrator, Bill Cosby. Their courage inspires us in our work. We are grateful for their bravery. We stand by all survivors whether they choose to report or not; we understand the tremendous barriers survivors must overcome to pursue justice through the courts. We stand on the side of justice. We stand with survivors. We will continue to fight for what is right and to push for the changes needed to fix the system which so often fails victims as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court did.