A topless protester with "Women's Lives Matter" written on her body in red ink charged at Bill Cosby as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse today for the start of his sexual assault retrial.
The woman jumped over a barricade and launched toward Cosby but was intercepted by sheriff's deputies. She was taken into custody and led away in handcuffs.
Cosby seemed startled by the commotion as protesters chanted at him, but was not touched and is uninjured.
The unidentified woman was among about a half dozen people chanting in support of Cosby's accuser. She had "Women's Lives Matters" written in red ink on her chest and stomach along with other phrases in black and red all over her body.
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Monday morning and prosecutors have lined up a parade of accusers to make the case that the man revered as "America's Dad" lived a double life as one of Hollywood's biggest predators.
Cosby's retrial likely won't be anything like his first one.
More From This Section
He's fighting back with a new, high-profile lawyer and an aggressive strategy: attacking Andrea Constand as a greedy liar and casting the other women testifying as bandwagon accusers looking for a share of the spotlight.
"You've seen previews and coming attractions, but things have changed," said professor Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Cosby's first trial last spring ended in a cliffhanger, with jurors unable to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of tense deliberations on charges that the man who made millions of viewers laugh as wise and understanding Dr Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" drugged and molested Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
The 80-year-old comedian, who has said the sexual contact was consensual, faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin today in a suburban Philadelphia courtroom.
His retrial is taking place in a radically changed and potentially more hostile environment.
The #MeToo movement caught fire four months after the first trial, raising awareness of sexual misconduct as it toppled Harvey Weinstein, Sen Al Franken, Matt Lauer and other powerful men.
Nearly every potential juror questioned for the case this time knew about #MeToo.
Kristen Houser of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center said that could help prosecutors overcome the skepticism some jurors had last time about Constand's yearlong wait to report her allegations to the police.
"The #MeToo movement is amplifying what experts have been saying for decades: People are ashamed, they're confused, they can't believe somebody they trust would hurt them, and then they worry that others won't believe them," Houser said.
After limiting the focus of the first trial, Judge Steven O'Neill has been willing to let both sides push the retrial well beyond Constand's allegations.
This time, O'Neill is letting prosecutors have five additional accusers testify, including model Janice Dickinson as they attempt to show Cosby made a habit of drugging and violating women. The judge allowed just one other accuser to take the stand last time.
"This one will be harder for the defense," Levenson said.
This time, Constand "is not alone, and there is strength in numbers."