After being convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, comedian and actor Bill Cosby, 84, served barely under three years in a Pennsylvania state prison before his conviction was overturned on appeal. He was released from prison in September 2021.
Less than a year later, Cosby has been found liable for sexually assaulting another woman, Judy Huth, when she was a teenager in the 1970s. The civil case was brought in front of a combined jury of eight women and four men, which ultimately resulted in Huth being awarded $500,000 in damages with no punitive compensation.
According to reports, the incident originally was reported to have happened in 1974 when Huth was 15 years old, but with further review, it was revealed that the incident happened in 1975 when Huth was 16. She also made it clear in her reports that Cosby knew exactly how old she was at the time and advised her to say that she was 19 years old.
Huth reported to authorities that she and a friend had met Cosby at a park where he was filming a movie. Cosby allegedly took a liking to her and her friend and invited them back to his tennis club. Furthermore, Huth claimed to have been given several alcoholic beverages and then taken to the Playboy Mansion alongside Cosby and her friend. Once the young ladies arrived at the mansion, Cosby allegedly advised them, saying, “If any of the Playboy bunnies asked their age, they should say they were 19.”
Huth then claimed that he lured her into a bedroom in the mansion where he sexually assaulted her. Cosby, 84, has denied all claims of sexual misconduct against him.
While outside the Santa Monica courthouse where the verdict had just been given, a smiling Huth told reporters, “I was elated. It has been so many years, so many tears.” Huth’s attorney Nathan Goldberg added, “This case proves that you can run but you can’t hide.” On the other side, Cosby, who did not attend the trial, had representatives deliver a statement. “What happened today wasn’t a victory, because they didn’t get the punitive damages,” said spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, indicating that Cosby is content with the outcome.
It has also been reported that Cosby’s team does intend to file an appeal following the verdict.
Dating back to 2005, over 50 women have spoken out alleging Cosby victimized them with sexual assault. Huth’s case is the first civil case to make it to trial, and most likely won’t be the last.