Though the statute of limitations had expired for the criminal case, California has a law in place that allows victims of underage sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits decades after the alleged incidents take place.
Trigger Warning: This story contains details of sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.
Bill Cosby was accused of sexually abusing Judy Huth at his Playboy Mansion when she was just 16 years old. After a two-week-long trial, a civil jury ruled in favor of Huth, according to PEOPLE. The jury awarded Huth $500,000 in damages.
Huth, now 64, filed a civil lawsuit in 2014, seeking emotional damages. In the lawsuit, Huth alleged she met Cosby in a San Marino park in Los Angeles while watching a movie with her 17-year-old friend in 1975. Cosby approached them and asked them to sit with him.
He then allegedly invited them to his tennis club where they played billiards and he allegedly "served them alcoholic beverages" during the game. Huth alleges that she was made to drink a beer every time Cosby won.
A Los Angeles jury found embattled comedian Bill Cosby guilty in a civil trial filed by Judy Huth, a woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her as a teenager in the 1970s. https://t.co/J4eIRmvwYz
— CNN (@CNN) June 21, 2022
Once they were served multiple alcoholic beverages, Cosby took them to Hugh Hefner's home in Holmby Hills. He also allegedly told the girls to tell people they were 19 years old if anyone asked.
Huth then told Cosby that she wanted to use the bathroom, and she was directed to a bathroom in a bedroom suite. When she came out, she found Cosby sitting on the bed. He made her sit beside him and proceeded to sexually assault her without her consent, according to the lawsuit.
In 2015, in a video deposition, Mr. Cosby denied taking Huth to the Playboy Mansion or having any sexual contact with her stating that he didn’t know her, as per The New York Times.
The statute of limitations had expired for the criminal case but California has a law in place that allows victims of underage sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits decades after the alleged incidents take place.
“This was a huge victory for us because they was (sic) looking for millions of dollars,” Andrew Wyatt said of the $500,000 his client Huth received in damages, as per Deadline. “That amount will not cover the legal bills and we will be appealing that matter. However, Mr. Cosby will not be paying punitive damages.”
Meanwhile, Gloria Allred, who was part of Huth's legal team, also expressed joy via a statement.
California jury finds Bill Cosby was liable for sexually assaulting a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old, awards her $500,000 in damages https://t.co/HJMN6Pw1e6
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 21, 2022
"The late United States Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, once said, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Today our client, Judy Huth, won real change because she fought Bill Cosby one step at a time over seven and a half years, and she proved with the jury’s verdict that Mr. Cosby did sexually assault her when she was a minor and that he should be held accountable for what he did to her," the statement read, in part.
"We are proud of Ms. Huth and our victory against Bill Cosby."
References:
https://deadline.com/2022/06/bill-cosby-verdict-judy-huth-playboy-mansion-assault-trial-1235048663/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Michael Abbott
