Jury Finds Against Cosby in Sexual Assault Lawsuit

He has been ordered to pay Judy Huth $500K
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 1, 2022 4:38 PM CDT
Updated Jun 21, 2022 7:01 PM CDT
Civil Case Against Cosby Goes to Trial
Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing in Pennsylvania in 2018.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Update: A jury in Los Angeles has ruled against Bill Cosby in a civil trial brought by Judy Huth, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16. The jury awarded Huth $500,000 in one of the last outstanding legal cases against the 84-year-old comedian, NBC reports. Huth, now 64, first filed the case in 2014. She testified that Cosby molested her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 after he met Huth and a friend in a park and served them multiple alcoholic drinks at a residence. More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault but this was the first civil case from an accuser to make it to trial, reports CNN. Our story from June 1 follows:

Bill Cosby will again be facing sexual abuse allegations Wednesday as attorneys give opening statements in a civil trial that's one of the last remaining legal claims against the comedian. Lawyers for 64-year-old Judy Huth will outline the evidence they plan to present that Cosby forced her to perform a sex act at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old, the AP reports. The case being tried in California will hinge on the testimony of Huth, bolstered by photos and other archival exhibits to place the incident in time.

Both sides will face challenges in presenting a case from so long ago, per the AP; many of the people present who might have testified are no longer alive. Cosby's attorneys, who say that no sexual abuse happened, are likely to emphasize that the burden of proving the case lies entirely with the plaintiffs. They have acknowledged that Cosby took Huth to the Playboy Mansion, as a photo from the visit shows, but say they believe she was not a minor then. The trial is one of the last cases Cosby, 85, faces after a Pennsylvania appeals court threw out his criminal sexual assault conviction and freed him from prison 11 months ago.

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Several other lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct were settled by his insurer against his will. Cosby will not testify after the judge ruled that he could assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. And he has no plans to leave his Pennsylvania home to attend the trial, which is taking place in Santa Monica. Cosby's representatives say glaucoma has left him blind and made travel too difficult. (More Bill Cosby stories.)

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