I was just reading this news report about the Bill Cosby trial in which he stands accusing of raping a lady named Andrea Constand. They're arguing over the prosecution's plan to bring in thirteen other women who claimed to have been molested by Cosby. The idea is to show a pattern of behavior. The defense opposes this and my eyebrows did a Groucho when I read this from the article…
"To come up with the required showing of a 'signature,' the commonwealth reaches for a cliché: a giant in the entertainment industry using his power to take advantage of young aspiring actresses. Even if proven, the age-old 'casting couch' is not unique to Mr. Cosby," defense lawyer Brian McMonagle wrote in an October defense brief opposing the testimony.
In other words: Even if he did his position of power to pressure women into having sex with him, that's not proof of anything since a lot of big stars and producers do that. What a wonderful defense.
And by the way, I don't think that's as common these days as some people think it is.