July 13, 2017
The anticlimactic end to Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial came at a steep price to Montgomery County.
Expenses for the high-profile case totaled $219,100, the county commissioners' office said Thursday in a release.
Starting in Norristown on June 5, the trial ran until Judge Steven O'Neill declared a mistrial on June 17. A deadlocked jury failed to reach a verdict after more than 52 hours of deliberations in a six-day span.
The commissioners' office provided the following breakdown of expenses for the trial.
Juror expenses: $74,000
• Jury selection: $6,700
• Transportation: $7,300
• Accommodations: $46,000
• Meals: $14,000
Personnel expenses: $129,000
• Sheriff’s Office overtime pay: $98,600
• Detective overtime pay: $14,400
• Court staff overtime pay: $14,100
• Security overtime pay: $1,900
Court expenses: $16,100
• Audio/Video to overflow courtroom: $16,100
“The difficult work and extra attention the case of the Commonwealth vs. William Cosby required was met with planning, preparation and problem-solving from Montgomery County employees across a number of departments,” said Val Arkoosh, chairwoman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “I want to extend my deepest gratitude for the hard work and professionalism that our county employees showed throughout the trial.”
Cosby's case centers on allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his Cheltenham home in 2004. To date, it is the only criminal case to arise from similar allegations made by approximately 60 other women. The 80-year-old entertainer is also fighting civil lawsuits by 10 women on both coasts.
A retrial date has been set for Nov. 6 at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Cosby is reportedly considering a shakeup of his legal team before returning to the courtroom.
