It’s plea deal or trial time for Bill Cosby

Though technically a hearing about the narrower matter of a past nonprosecution agreement, the proceeding often became a window into the events of the Cosby-Constand dynamic as told by their lawyers. Cosby’s lawyers had accused Steele of making a “political football” out of Cosby during his political campaign.

But there was nothing in writing about immunity, and the judge agreed with prosecutors that the criminal case against Cosby can go on.

Mr Steele ran ads criticising his opponent for not prosecuting Cosby when he had the chance.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill also refused a defense request to disqualify the prosecutor from the case.

That testimony, released only past year, prompted the Castor’s successors to reopen the case and ultimately charge Cosby with felony sexual assault.

In addition, Schmitt said, Cosby’s lead attorney in the Constand case, Walter Phillips, “got assurances from Mr. Castor that this was an irrevocable decision that he had made”.

The evolving sexual assault case against Bill Cosby had hinged on a key question: Did a former suburban Philadelphia prosecutor’s assurance to the comedian that he would never be prosecuted a decade ago hold up? The hearing ended early Wednesday night.

Risa Ferman, now a county judge, worked on the Constand case before succeeding Castor as district attorney in 2008. If convicted, Cosby could face up to ten years in prison.

Attorneys for Bill Cosby, Christopher Tayback, left, and Brian McMonagle arrive for Cosby’s court appearance Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in Norristown, Pa. Cosby was arrested and charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in January 2004.

During the two day hearing, lawyers for Cosby claimed that he made a deal in 2005 with then-Montgomery County prosecutor Bruce Castor that he wouldn’t be prosecuted and should testify freely in accuser Andrea Constand’s civil lawsuit. She also claimed Cosby gave her pills and wine, which made her unresponsive and unable to move.

Now, there will be a battle over explicit testimony he gave in a deposition more than a decade ago.

Those charges are based on a newly released deposition from Constand’s lawsuit.

Over 50 women have accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Cosby’s lawyers argued his case should be thrown out because of a deal with the previous district attorney handling the case. She worked at Philadelphia’s Temple University, where Cosby is an alumnus.

“There was a lot of yelling and screaming and trying to divert our attention”, said Dolores Troiani, Constand’s lawyer, of Cosby’s behavior at the four-day deposition during the civil trial in 2005.

The comedian’s attorneys have not entered a plea and say they are going to appeal the judge’s decision.

Castor testified at the time that there was not sufficient evidence to support Constand’s claims.