The judge presiding over Bill Cosby‘s sexual assault trial has very strict rules about press coverage of the case. No broadcasts are allowed from the courtroom, and cell phone use is strictly prohibited. On Wednesday, however, well-known attorney Gloria Allred and a local reporter drew the judge’s wrath due to rule violations.
Allred, who represents a number of women who have alleged Cosby of sexual abuse, had an inadvertent mishap when her cell phone rang in court during the trial. The judge told Allred to leave the room, but the attorney, who does not represent anyone in this case, was later allowed to return. Because Allred did not take her phone out, Philly.com reported, she was not cited for the incident and will be permitted to continue sitting in the courtroom.
Local NBC reporter Brian McCrone, however, didn’t get off that easy. McCrone reportedly took his phone out and was text messaging in court. The judge banned him from being in the room for the rest of the trial. A spokesperson for the station confirmed, “Our reporter apologized to the court and the credential has been revoked.”
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