When Bill Cosby went to prison nearly three years ago, it was the most stunning development yet of the year-old #MeToo movement. Advocates and survivors of sexual assault hoped it would usher in an era of accountability. In many ways, it did — some victims have been emboldened to seek justice. But now that Cosby is out of prison, his conviction overturned, some worry the case will have a chilling effect on survivors. Calls to some sexual assault hotlines are up as victims try to process why Cosby was freed. Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled Cosby shouldn’t have been on trial because a previous prosecutor had promised not to charge him.
