The 80-year-old comedian is set to be retried on charges of sexual assault this November; in preparation, Bill Cosby has brought in Tom Mesereau to represent him during the trial. Tom Mesereau represented Michael Jackson during his 2005 child molestation case, which ended with the pop star being acquitted of all charges. The high-profile lawyer has earned a positive reputation over the years, as he also represented Mike Tyson, Suge Knight, and actor Robert Blake.
Mistrial
Although more than one person came forward and accused Bill Cosby of sexual abuse, only one case dating back to 2004 was still within the statute of limitations.
Andrea Constand accused the comedian of sexually assaulting her in 2004, and a case was opened a few days before the prosecution period was set to expire. The original trial ended up holding no answers, as the jury was unable to make a final decision, causing a mistrial. This resulted in Bill Cosby being let go while leaving the prosecutors the option to resubmit the charges at a later date.
Michael Jackson's trial
Tom Mesereau has proven somewhat of a good luck charm for accused entertainers, as he won high-profile cases for Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson. Tom Mesereau represented the boxer in 2001 while under investigating for rape before getting the charges dropped.
More famously, Tom Mesereau represented Michael Jackson during well-publicized child molestation trial in 2005.
During the course of the hearing, which includes multiple cross-examinations of underage boys claiming that the pop star had forced them to drink alcohol, shown them porn, and molested them. Despite these graphic images, the attorney managed to raise enough doubt in their statement to successfully get his client acquitted of all charges.
Later on, the lawyer described the prosecutor's case as one of the most mean-spirited he ever had the misfortune to sit through and that it should have never even gone to trial.
A timeline of accusations leveled towards Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby is charged with one sexual assault, but accusations have been made that go back to 1965.
There are over 30 claims of misconduct spread over four decades, which paint an ugly picture of TV's favorite father. It should be noted that these individual reports cannot be taken into account during the current trial unless used to suggest a behavior pattern, as the prosecution must prove that the 2004 incident happened.