But some have suggested that the judge’s decision was also a response to shifting social views after #MeToo. Juries tend to focus on two main issues: One, whether they believe the accuser, and two, whether the sexual behavior was consensual. PhotoThe question of consent gets particular scrutiny when the victim previously knew the accused, which is the case in the majority of sexual assaults. “There’s the appearance that for women to be believed, it couldn’t be just one, it had to be many.”In the Cosby case, was #MeToo on trial? “We’re recognizing that there’s lots of ways to hold people accountable for sexual harassment and sexual violence.”

Source: New York Times April 26, 2018 18:31 UTC