Bill Cosby Ordered To Pay $500,000 To Assault Victim
Bill Cosby may have been freed from jail despite his long list of crimes, but the actor is still paying for them – literally. A civil jury just determined that he must pay $500,000 over a sexual assault he committed in 1975 against a minor.
The lawsuit was brought forth by Judy Huth, who says she was assault by The Cosby Show star when she was 16-years-old at the Playboy mansion. The trial and jury deliberations took place in Santa Monica, California. Though Huth took the stand, Cosby declined to attend the hearing.
Huth testified that she originally met Cosby on the set of Let’s Do It Again. He later invited her and a friend to attend a gathering at the Playboy Mansion. But when she was there, Cosby got Huth alone in a bedroom and proceeded to violate her.
Despite Huth’s compelling testimony, Cosby’s legal team denied that any sort of sexual encounter ever happened between the pair. His attorney called Huth’s testimony "a complete and utter fabrication."
In the end, however, the jury sided with Huth and awarded her $500,000 in compensatory damages. She was not awarded any punitive damages. According to Yahoo! News, although Cosby has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 60 women, this is the first civil case to go to trial.
Cosby became a central figure during the Me Too movement when various women came forward accusing him of sexual assault, with some claiming the attacks happened decades ago.
The actor was eventually convicted of aggravated assault against Andrea Constand, who he drugged and violated at his home in 2004. However, the conviction was overturned in 2021, when the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania determined that Cosby’s due process rights were violated, as the prosecutor who tried the case had been bound by a previous agreement not to charge Cosby.
While the U.S. Supreme Court was petitioned to reverse the decision, it declined to do so.
With the success of Huth’s civil case, the actor may be paying damages to more victims if the precedent holds firm. However, Cosby’s legal team remains confident that he could win an appeal.
“We do feel some relief,” Jennifer Bonjean, Cosby’s lawyer, told the press. “Finding no punitive damages was a significant win for us.”
A representative for Cosby added that he plans to appeal the decision. “Mr. Cosby continues to maintain his innocence,” Mr. Wyatt said in a statement, “And will vigorously fight these false accusations, so that he can get back to bringing the pursuit of happiness, joy and laughter to the world.”
Sources: Yahoo! News, NY Times,
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