Bill Cosby has hired Michael Jackson's former lawyer to represent him in his sexual assault retrial, Reuters reports. Cosby will be retried for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand this November after the first trial ended with a hung jury.
Cosby's spokesman has confirmed that Tom Mesereau, a member of the legal team that successfully got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation charges, will defend the comedian in his new trial. Mesereau's previous clients include boxer Mike Tyson and actor Robert Blake, according to Page Six.
Mesereau will lead Cosby's new legal team, which also includes attorneys Kathleen Bliss and Sam Silver.
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Attorneys Tom Mesereau (LA), Kathleen Bliss (NV), and Sam Silver (PA) pic.twitter.com/dnzgu9sgwo
— Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) August 21, 2017
Cosby's retrial is scheduled to begin on November 6. He faces charges stemming from a 2004 incident in which Constand, a former administrator at Temple University, says the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Philadelphia-area home.
Dozens of women have come forward accusing Cosby of sexual assaults that date back to the 1960s. He denies any wrongdoing and maintains that all sexual contact with his accusers was consensual. The statute of limitations had expired on all but one of the alleged incidents and Cosby was charged in the Constand case in December 2015, just days before the statute would have expired on her claim as well.
Jurors failed to reach a verdict after 52 hours of deliberations during Cosby's first trial in May. His lawyers from the original trial, Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa, have both withdrawn. Neither provided a reason.
Cosby will appear in court tomorrow for a hearing related to the changes to his legal team.