Lawyer for Bill Cosby wants to withdraw from case
NORRISTOWN » In a stunning move, the Philadelphia lawyer hired to represent Bill Cosby at his upcoming sexual assault retrial has withdrawn from the case.
Samuel W. Silver filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for Cosby in Montgomery County Court on Friday. Silver did not explain his reasons for the withdrawal in court papers.
“This withdrawal will have no material adverse effect on defendant’s interests,” Silver wrote in the court document seeking a judge’s permission to get out of the case.
Cosby will continue to be represented by Thomas Mesereau Jr., Kathleen Bliss, Jason Hicks and Becky James, according to court papers.
“They will also endeavor to promptly associate with new Pennsylvania counsel who will enter an appearance as counsel of record and sponsor their continued ‘pro hac vice’ admission to practice before this court,” Silver wrote.
Mesereau, Bliss, Hicks and James are not Pennsylvania lawyers.
Mesereau is from Los Angeles and Bliss is from Las Vegas, according to court records. Hicks, also of Las Vegas, works as an associate for Bliss, and James is a member of the California Bar, according to court records.
Under Pennsylvania Bar Admission Rules, lawyers or advocates who are qualified to practice in the courts of another state may be “specially admitted” to the Pennsylvania Bar, but must have a local sponsor. Silver, a partner with the Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis firm in Philadelphia, had sponsored the other out-of-state members of Cosby’s defense team.
Another Pennsylvania lawyer will have to enter the case in order to become a sponsor for Mesereau, Bliss, Hicks and James.
Silver did not return a phone call and message, seeking further comment about his withdrawal, left for him at his Philadelphia office on Friday.
Mesereau and Bliss could not be reached for comment about the matter.
Kate Delano, director of communications for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment about Silver’s withdrawal.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who is presiding over the Cosby retrial, had not yet addressed Silver’s request to withdraw.
Silver previously represented U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah who was convicted of federal corruption charges in June 2016 and is serving a 10-year prison term. Silver, an adjunct faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania, also represented former Penn State President Graham Spanier at his child endangerment trial last year.
It’s unclear if Silver’s withdrawal from the case will delay the start of Cosby’s retrial, which is slated to begin with jury selection on March 29. Testimony is slated to begin at the trial on April 2.
William Henry Cosby Jr., as his name appears on charging documents, faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault in connection with allegations he had inappropriate sexual contact with Andrea Constand, a former Temple University athletic department employee, at his Cheltenham home after plying her with blue pills and wine in January 2004.
Cosby remains free on 10 percent of $1 million bail, pending the retrial. Cosby, 80, faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
Cosby’s first trial ended in a mistrial last June 17 after a jury of seven men and five women selected from Allegheny County individually told the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked “on all counts” after deliberating more than 52 hours over six days. The deliberations took longer than the evidentiary portion of the trial.
District Attorney Kevin R. Steele immediately vowed to seek a retrial.
The jury selected for Cosby’s retrial will be comprised of Montgomery County residents.