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Cosby lawyers: No T-shirts, flowers or slogans at retrial

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby’s lawyers want T-shirts, buttons and other slogan-filled items banned from his upcoming sexual assault retrial after some accusers were seen with them in the audience at his first trial.

Cosby’s lawyers argued in court papers on Tuesday that slogans like “We Stand in Truth” could influence jurors. They also want to ban people from bringing in flowers, posters and other props.

Some women at Cosby’s first trial carried bouquets of pink gladioli to express solidarity with other women who say the comedian drugged and molested them.

Cosby has pleaded not guilty to charges he assaulted a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

His first trial ended in a hung jury. Retrial jury selection is scheduled for April 2.

Prosecutors on Tuesday said jurors shouldn’t hear why a district attorney declined to file criminal charges in 2005 because his opinion is irrelevant to the case at hand.

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For more on the Cosby trial, go to https://apnews.com/tag/CosbyonTrial