She was 44.

“The Cosby Family thanks many people for their prayers for their beloved and beautiful Ensa,” read a statement from the family obtained by CNN.

Renal disease is a condition that impairs kidney function.

Ensa Cosby voiced strong support for her father after he was accused of sexual assault, saying she believed he was innocent.

Last May, Ensa and her sister Erinn released audio statements in support of their famous father.

“I believe that racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal,” Ensa Cosby wrote.

“My father has been publicly lynched in the media,” she said. “My family, my young daughter, my young niece and nephew have had to stand helplessly by and watch the double standards of pretending to protect the rights of some, but ignoring the rights of others and exposing innocent children to such appalling accusations about someone they love dearly and who has been so loving and kind to them is beyond cruel.”

The elder Cosby has denied the allegations.

Despite her father’s fame, Ensa Cosby led a life away from the spotlight.

She is one of five children born to the superstar actor and his wife, Camille.

The couple’s only son, Ennis, was murdered at the age of 27 in 1997 during a failed robbery attempt.
Funeral plans for Ensa have not yet been announced.

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Source: CNN

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The seven men and five women were unable to reach a unanimous decision, following more than 50 hours of deliberations.

Mr Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. His lawyers had argued the sex was consensual.

The US comedian could face new proceedings.

For now, he walks way from court a free man, but the prosecution has already said they are pursuing a fresh trial.

Mr Cosby could have faced up to a decade in prison if found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault.

Dozens of women say he assaulted them, but statutes of limitation rules mean he was allowed to be tried for Ms Constand’s allegation only.

Announcing the decision, the Pennsylvania judge reminded Mr Cosby that he remains charged and on bail, despite the mistrial.

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Source: BBC

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Both sides are expected to give closing arguments Monday afternoon, and the jury could begin deliberations later in the day or on Tuesday.

The comedian’s lawyers called to the stand only Detective Richard Schaffer, who was used mainly as a vehicle for the defense to move into evidence statements that the alleged victim, Andrea Constand, gave police.

Throughout the trial, Cosby’s team has zeroed in on inconsistencies between the various statements, and Constand admitted on the stand that she had made mistakes in one of her accounts.

Several other defense witnesses were blocked by the judge because their testimony would have been hearsay or would have violated the state’s rape shield law.

Before the jury came into the courtroom, the judge asked Cosby if he agreed with the defense decision not to present character witnesses or call him to the stand.

“Correct!” Cosby said in a booming voice.

The trial has moved faster than expected with just six days of testimony.

Prosecutors presented 12 witnesses, including two accusers.

Cosby did not take the stand, despite suggestions from his spokesman that it was a possibility.

Cosby, 79, has pleaded not guilty to drugging and molesting Constand, 44, at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

It’s the only criminal case stemming from dozens of sexual misconduct accusations spanning decades — all of which Cosby denies.

His wife wore a tight-lipped smile as she was led into the courtroom by a publicist. Cosby, who says he is legally blind, did not acknowledge her as she took her seat in the first row of spectator seating.

She was not in the courtroom during the prosecution’s case, which included a reading of her husband’s 2005 deposition in which he talked about giving women Quaaludes for sex.

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Source: NBC

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On Thursday, Cosby’s attorney Angela Agrusa argued to a Massachusetts judge why documents produced by Creative Artists Agency should be sealed in a defamation lawsuit brought by seven women.

The documents in question, according to court briefs, contain information about Cosby’s negotiated compensation for his performances, some of his contracts and also reflect the cancelation of business arrangements since the sexual assault firestorm.

The plaintiffs are objecting to the proposed sealing. One of the arguments being made by the women is that Cosby has no prospects in the entertainment business. Therefore, Cosby couldn’t experience harm from disclosure.

Agrusa disputes.

“Plaintiffs’ argument that Mr. Cosby has no basis to protect this information because he has no potential agreements or performances on the horizon is baseless,” she wrote in a brief filed with the court yesterday. “When Mr. Cosby is cleared from all liability and charges, and the impact of Plaintiffs’ defamatory conduct has subsided, he expects to resume his career, and there is no reason to believe otherwise. But disclosure of this type of financial and business information is irreversible. Even after his name is cleared, if released to the public, this information would improperly restrain his employment and tie his hands for renegotiation.”

CAA is no longer representing Cosby, whose most serious legal difficulty is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where he faces a charge of sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.

Cosby is presently attempting to convince the judge in the criminal case to dismiss it as a violation of his due process rights. Cosby’s attorneys argue he has suffered prejudice from the long delay in the filing of charges. The 79-year-old entertainer also points to blindness and memory decline as preventing him from assisting in his defense.

Over in Massachusetts, where Cosby experienced a separate win earlier this week by getting a judge to order American International Group to pay his legal fees in the defamation suits, the suing women pointed to that issue of slipping eyesight as another reason why the resumption of his career is “highly improbable.”

This gets a retort as well.

Agrusa writes, “Mr. Cosby’s visual impairment that prejudicially impacts his ability to defend against decades-old allegations does not in the same way affect his ability to continue his career in entertainment, as there are many examples of highly successful, and visually impaired entertainers, e.g. Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.”

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Source: The Hollywood Report

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