Constand was 30 and dating a woman at the time, while Cosby was 66 and long married to wife Camille. Cosby in sworn testimony has said he put his hand down Constand’s pants, but said she did not protest.
The judge plans to bring 100 potential jurors to the courthouse each day this week until a dozen jurors and six alternates are found. The first group consisted of 53 women and 47 men, with 16 people of color.
In answering questions, 67 said they had a family, financial or other hardship that would make it difficult to serve; 34 had formed an opinion about Cosby’s guilt or innocence; 25 said they would have trouble being fair because of the nature of the charges; and 14 said they had a preconceived notion that would prevent them from deciding the case fairly.
“He’s holding up fine, he’s looking forward to it … and we’re looking forward to getting a trial,” McMonagle said as he entered the courthouse.
The lawyers also will be weighing a potential juror’s race, gender, age, occupation and interests. They hope to tease out whether they relate more to the beloved actor who brought the world Fat Albert, Dr. Cliff Huxtable and bemused quips about family and fatherhood, or to Constand, who was rebuffed when she first filed a police complaint, only to have the case resurface a decade later after Cosby’s testimony from her lawsuit became public and dozens of other accusers came forward to support her.
