“I have spent a large portion of my legal career representing survivors of sexual assault, helping them hold their perpetrators accountable long before #MeToo became a rallying cry.
“In my years, I’ve seen rulings and decisions handed down by courts veer away from justice, often driven by arcane legal arguments. Today’s ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will make even the most rule-bound of us question it with incredulity. At the end of the day, rulings like this mean survivors of sexual abuse will be less willing to step forward, afraid that the legal system is stacked against them.
“The fact that a DA’s initial decision not to prosecute Cosby can have preclusive effect on future claims is deeply disheartening. It is equally vexing that current laws will likely prohibit other victims from pursuing Cosby for civil claims because of statute of limitation issues.
“I hope that this judicial breakdown will empower victims’ advocates to bring change to the laws that prohibit survivors from holding sexual predators accountable.”