Gloria Allred: Cosby Has More Legal Trouble to Come

Bill Cosby is out of prison—but Gloria Allred, the attorney who represented dozens of his accusers, says he "is not home free" after having his sexual assault conviction overturned on a technicality. Allred said that while the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision is "devastating" for accusers and she does not expect Cosby to face any other criminal charges, the move will allow her to proceed with a civil suit against the 83-year-old, Fox reports. Allred is representing Judy Huth, who accuses Cosby of sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15 years old. The case was on hold while Cosby was behind bars, but she can now seek a trial date and Cosby will now have to provide a court-ordered second disposition. She said she expects Los Angeles County Superior Court to set a trial date soon.

"Because his criminal case is now concluded and because he is not in jeopardy of being criminally prosecuted, he will not be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in our case," Allred said. As with dozens of other accusations against Cosby, the statute of limitations expired long ago in the Huth case, but California law allows a civil lawsuit because she was a minor at the time. Allred represented some of the "prior bad act" accusers who testified at Cosby's retrial for drugging and raping Andrea Constand. She said Wednesday that the decision to overturn the conviction does not "vindicate Bill Cosby’s conduct and should not be interpreted as a statement or a finding that he did not engage in the acts of which he has been accused," per Variety. (Accusers say they are worried about the ruling's possible effect on future victims.)