Bill Cosby retrial: 'Goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable,' says topless protester

A topless protester who appeared on several episodes of The Cosby Show as a child jumped a barricade and got close to Bill Cosby on Monday as the comedian entered a suburban Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial.

The woman, whose body was scrawled with the names of more than 50 Cosby accusers as well as the words "Women's Lives Matter," ran in front of Cosby toward a bank of TV cameras but was intercepted by sheriff's deputies and led away in handcuffs.

Cosby seemed startled by the commotion as a half-dozen protesters chanted at him.

The main goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women...- Protester Nicolle Rochelle

The protester, Nicolle Rochelle, 39, of Little Falls, N.J., was charged with disorderly conduct and released.

"The main goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women and to show him that the body can be aggressive and empowered," she said afterward.

Rochelle, an actress, said she didn't have any bad experiences with Cosby when she was on the show, nor did she intend to physically hurt him. She is a member of the European feminist group Femen, which is known for staging topless protests around the world.

Increased security suggested

Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt praised deputies for their quick action but urged court officials to increase security.

"It's a different world. Things have changed," Wyatt told The Associated Press, referring to recent mass shootings and other episodes.

"You never know who's going to want to make a name for themselves."

The disruption came ahead of opening statements, which were delayed while the judge sorted through allegations raised late Friday that a juror told a woman during jury selection that he thought Cosby was guilty. Cosby's lawyers want the juror removed from the case.

Cosby's defence team is expected to use its opening statement on Tuesday to portray a $3.4 million US settlement paid to the woman he's charged with sexually assaulting as evidence of her greed.

Cosby lawyer Tom Mesereau has signalled he intends to use the settlement to argue that Andrea Constand falsely accused the man once revered as "America's Dad" in hopes of landing a big payoff.

District Attorney Kevin Steele revealed the previously secret settlement amount in his opening statement on Monday, but didn't connect the dots to the prosecution's earlier suggestions that Cosby wouldn't have paid out so much money if the accusations against him were false.

Mesereau, who won an acquittal in Michael Jackson's 2005 child molestation case, has said the jury will learn "just how greedy" Constand was.

The settlement amount had been confidential — and was kept out of the first trial — but a judge ruled that both sides could discuss it at this one.

"The question that I'm sure we're going to hear a lot about is, why would an innocent man pay $3.38 million for something he didn't do?" said lawyer Dennis McAndrews, who prosecuted chemical heir John E. duPont for murder in 1997 and is not associated with the Cosby retrial.

Cosby's first trial last spring ended 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.

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.

'Strength in numbers'

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 complainants testify — including former model Janice Dickinson — as they attempt to show Cosby made a habit of drugging and violating women. The judge allowed just one other complainant to take the stand last time.

"This one will be harder for the defence," Prof. Laurie Levenson of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles said. This time, Constand "is not alone, and there is strength in numbers."

In another difference, the judge this time is letting Cosby's legal team call as a witness a former co-worker of Constand's at Temple University who said Constand spoke of setting up a "high-profile person" so she could sue and enjoy a big payday. Constand's lawyer has said the co-worker is lying.

The judge also decided the jury can hear the answer to one of the biggest questions hanging over the case: How much did Cosby pay Constand to settle her lawsuit against him more than a decade ago? The two sides agreed at the first trial not to mention the lawsuit.

Cosby lawyer Tom Mesereau, who won an acquittal in Michael Jackson's 2005 child molestation case, said the jury will learn "just how greedy" Constand was.

Cosby not expected to testify

In a twist, the judge hinted that he might not allow jurors to hear Cosby's lurid deposition testimony about giving quaaludes to women before sex. He said he would rule on it during the trial. Cosby testified in 2005 and 2006 as part of Constand's lawsuit.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand and Dickinson have done.