Over the past couple weeks, comedian Bill Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by 24 different women. Multiple women have gone to the media to allege that they were drugged by the star of the popular sitcom The Cosby Show. With so many women claiming that they had been sexually assaulted, why has Cosby not been brought up on criminal charges?

Statute of Limitations Laws Affect Cosby Case

Sexual assault occurs when one person touches another in an unwanted manner on their sexual organs, ranging from sexual groping to rape. Unless the individual alleging sexual assault is a minor, California adheres by a 10-year statute of limitations. This means that prosecutors are forbidden from charging someone with a crime that was committed beyond that window, since it provides the strongest evidence and testimony. If charges are brought outside of that window, the person accused of a crime won't face prosecution.

In June 2006, a woman named Barbara Bowman spoke to Philadelphia magazine and alleged that Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1986. Bowman had been cited in a 2005 lawsuit against Cosby that claimed five different charges and contained 13 women who say they were assaulted by the actor. Bowman's stories appeared in People magazine in December 2006. In February 2014, Bowman and another supposed witness were interviewed by Newsweek about the assaults before publishing an op-ed in the Washington Post entitled "Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?" Once this editorial became published, 24 more women came forward to claim that the comedian sexually assaulted them prior to the 2005 lawsuit.

According to the statute of limitations on sexual assault allegations, all of these accusations fall outside of the allotted 10 years allowed to prosecute such crimes. However, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has stated that they will examine all allegations made against Cosby, even those outside of the statute of limitations. No complaints have been filed with LAPD. In addition, some of the accusers have opened civil lawsuits asking Cosby for money for their psychological damages.

Being accused of a sex crime is serious business, no matter who you are. If someone is making allegations about you, protect yourself with the help of a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.