Bill Cosby's accusers & attorney's who fought Me Too case 'disgusted' & 'disappointed' over his release

The Me Too movement witnessed a huge development on Wednesday as comedian and actor Bill Cosby was released from prison after Pennsylvania's highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction. Cosby's case was one of the first major cases in the Me Too era with almost 60 women accusing the comedian of sexual assault and drugging them. 

With Cosby now walking free after being sentenced to 3 to 10 years in 2018, the comedian even made a brief appearance for the media outside his home. His release has received several reactions one of them from one of the central figure's in Cosby's trial. As per CNN, he was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in a Philadelphia suburb in 2004.

Reacting to Cosby's release, Constand told CNN, Today's majority decision regarding Bill Cosby 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."

Andrea Constand reacts after Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3-10 years in the assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse on September 25, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Patricia Leary Steuer, who had accused Cosby of assaulting her in the late 1970, said, "There were more than 63 of us who came forward in the end. I'm wondering what the purpose was of the 43 years of this ordeal and the trauma that I had and the trauma that my family endured as a result. I'm comforted that we did the best we could because we came forward and told the truth. In the end that was the only power we had in this situation." 

Victoria Valentino, who had accused Cosby of raping her in the 1960s, said, "I am outraged! Outraged! Stunned! My stomach is in knots. The work that we have done to uplift women has been overturned by a legal glitch. We now have a serial predator on the street. What does that say about a woman's worth? A woman's value? Do our lives mean nothing? All of the lives that he damaged, not to mention our children and how we respond to our children and our personal relationships. He's impacted the lives of well over 60 women. So here we are, back to square one." 

Another such reaction came from Janice Baker-Kinney who had stated that the comedian gave her pills and raped her in the 1980s. "I am stunned, I am shocked and my stomach is in a knot, ... One legal ease can overturn this when so many people came forward. ... This serial rapist gets to go home today is just stunning to me." 

As for the attorney's, who fought the case for the brave women who came forward, were equally shocked. Attorney Lisa Bloom told CNN's Ana Cabrera, "The jury heard all of the evidence, considered everything, convicted him, and now that this day has come I just think it's a slap in the face for all the victims." 

Attorney Lisa Bloom

Whereas, attorney Gloria Allred issued a statement saying, "This decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court today to overturn the conviction of Bill Cosby must be devastating for Bill Cosby's accusers. My heart especially goes out to those who bravely testified in both of his criminal cases. I represented a majority of the prior bad act accusers who testified. Despite the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision, this was an important fight for justice and even though the court overturned the conviction on technical grounds, it did not vindicate Bill Cosby's conduct and should not be interpreted as a statement or a finding that he did not engage in the acts of which he has been accused." 

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