Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor and demanded to pay $500,000

Bill Cosby must pay Judy Heath $500,000 after a California jury found the 84-year-old man responsible for sexual assault

Disgraceful Bill Cosby has been ordered to pay half a million dollars in punitive damages after a civil jury found him responsible for a historic sexual assault case.

The 84-year-old was sued by Judy Huth, who said he forced her to perform sexual acts on him when she was 16 at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.

On Tuesday night, a jury in Los Angeles awarded her $500,000 (£407,000).

Unlike in his criminal trials and the 2018 conviction was vacated for the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand, Cosby will not face prison.

Cosby was not in the courtroom when the message was read out and has not testified in court, unlike Huth.

He was first sued by Huth in 2014 for solicitation and two other charges of assault when she was 16. Allegations are that he abused her at the Playboy Mansion in the mid-1970s.

The jury began deliberations last Thursday and the case is one that has been closely watched by several other women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.

This is the first civil case accusing multiple millionaires of sexual assault to go to trial and the jury heard Huth’s account during 10 days in Los Angeles Superior Court, the jury heard. told by Huth.

Huth told the jury that she and a friend, Donna Samuelson, met
Cosby in a park in San Marino, California, where he is working on a movie titled Let’s Do It Again.

Two women testified that the star, who was formerly known as the father of the US team, invited them to his tennis club, and then his home.

Back at his house, they claimed he gave them alcohol and made them follow him in their car to the Playboy Mansion.

Huth, now 64, describes how in a bedroom at the mansion, Cosby forced her to perform sex acts on him.

He has denied the allegations.

His attorneys admitted he met Huth at the Playboy Mansion, but during a thorough examination they described her account as “a complete and complete fabrication”.

They allege that she made false statements and coordinated with Samuelson to make money.

They asked why, in her own words, she had stayed at the Playboy Mansion for hours after the alleged encounter, swimming in the pool and ordering cocktails.

They also questioned why she didn’t talk about it months and years later.

Huth can file a lawsuit because, under California law, the time limit for reporting an assault can be extended for adults who believe they were the victim of childhood sexual abuse but have repressed the experience. this experience.

In 2020, California law was amended to further extend the statute of limitations for sexual assault filings in civil court.
Cosby was released from prison last year after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction for technical sexual assault.

Judges ruled a non-prosecution agreement made by a prosecutor earlier meant Cosby should not be charged in the case.