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Cosby won't face charges in L.A. for two different allegations

By Shawn Price
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office on Wednesday declined to prosecute two different allegations against Bill Cosby, siting not enough evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations. However, Cosby still faces charges of sexual assault from a 2004 incident in Pennsylvania. Cheltenham Township Police Department/UPI
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office on Wednesday declined to prosecute two different allegations against Bill Cosby, siting not enough evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations. However, Cosby still faces charges of sexual assault from a 2004 incident in Pennsylvania. Cheltenham Township Police Department/UPI

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Bill Cosby will not face charges on two separate allegations in Los Angeles, the L.A. District Attorney said Wednesday.

The District Attorney said a combination of not enough evidence and too much lost time kept them from making strong cases. One allegation dated back to 1965 and the second from 2008 at the Playboy Mansion.

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"After evaluating all potential charges, there is insufficient evidence to prove these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt," the District Attorney's report stated.

As for the 50-year-old case, the D.A.'s report stated: "Filing the crime of forcible rape is barred by the statute of limitations and as such, any consideration of a criminal filing is prohibited by law."

Cosby's lawyers were pleased with the outcome.

"We are satisfied that the Los Angeles DA's Office fully and fairly evaluated all the facts and evidence, and came to the right conclusion," Chris Tayback, one of Cosby's lawyer's, said in a statement.

Although neither accuser is identified, model Chloe Goins filed a civil suit against Cosby in an L.A. federal court on allegations he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008 when she was 18. Cosby's lawyers deny the allegations.

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"It is very difficult for a person who alleges that she is a victim to understand that there are arbitrary time periods set by law," Gloria Allred, lawyer for the woman known as Jane Doe #1, said in a statement. "And that if allegations are not reported within that time period that it will be too late for a prosecutor to pursue them even if a prosecutor believes that there is sufficient evidence to prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt."

Goins' lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, acknowledged their disappointment, but vowed to carry one with their civil suit.

"We recognize that the bar for criminal prosecution, which is proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, is extremely high," Kuvin said in a statement.

With the L.A. allegations falling short, Cosby will likely only be prosecuted for one case of sexual assault out of almost 60 allegations, and it's the case that led Cosby to be arrested last week at his Pennsylvania home.

The statute of limitations has not yet run out in Pennsylvania, where the entertainer has been charged with aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand in 2004, when she was director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team.

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The alleged incident took place in the comedian's home. Constand said Cosby first drugged, then sexually assaulted her. Cosby's legal team call the case "unjustified."

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