A Los Angeles jury has found embattled comedian Bill Cosby liable in a civil case brought by Judy Huth, a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her as a teenager in the 1970s.
The jury, comprised of eight women and four men, awarded Huth $500,000 in damages. No punitive compensation was awarded.
Huth first filed the case in 2014, claiming sexual battery and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The original filing stated that the incident happened in 1974 when Huth was 15 years old, but the timeline was later revised to 1975, when Huth was 16.
In her complaint, Huth told of meeting Cosby at a park where he was filming a movie. After befriending Huth and a friend, Cosby allegedly invited them to join him at his tennis club. From there, Huth alleged, the comedian invited them to a house where he served the young women multiple alcoholic drinks and then took them to the Playboy Mansion.
Huth alleged that though Cosby knew her age and that of her friend, he directed the teens “that if any of the Playboy bunnies asked their age, they should say they were 19”.
Huth further claimed that Cosby took her to a bedroom in the mansion where he sexually molested her.
After the court verdict, Huth was all smiles when she briefly spoke to reporters outside a Santa Monica courthouse, according to reports.
“I was elated,” she said of the verdict. “It has been so many years, so many tears”.
“This case proves that you can run but you can’t hide,” Nathan Goldberg, an attorney for Huth said.
Meanwhile, Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, said the actor’s team plans to appeal the jury’s decision, but described it as a win for the actor, noting that it was far less than the $8million Huth’s attorney, Gloria Allred, sought.
“This is a huge victory and the Cosbys are so happy with the representation of Jennifer Bonjean. Allred was trying to get $8m. They did not get punitive damages. That is a huge win”.
Andrew Wyatt
Allred, Huth’s lawyer, thanked the jury for its verdict and praised her client for her courage and many sacrifices to win justice in the case.
“We are honored to represent her. I want to thank all of the women who spoke out over the years, and refused to be silent in the face of what they believed to be injustice and sexual abuse by powerful men … We are proud of Ms Huth and our victory against Bill Cosby”.
Allred
Rainn, an anti-sexual violence non-profit, praised the Los Angeles jury’s decision.
Erinn Robinson, a Rainn spokesperson said:“Once again, a jury has found that Bill Cosby committed sexual assault. Ms Huth’s courageous testimony helped the jury reach this decision and we commend her for her bravery. Today’s verdict shows survivors that perpetrators, even powerful ones, can be held accountable”.
Cosby was not present for the trial or the verdict, and his team plans to file an appeal.
Since 2005, more than 50 women have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault. After being convicted of assaulting Andrea Constand in Philadelphia, Cosby served just under three years in a Pennsylvania state prison before his conviction was overturned on appeal. He was released from prison in September 2021.
This is the first civil case by any Cosby accuser to make it to trial.
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