A Los Angeles jury found comedian Bill Cosby guilty in a civil suit brought by Judy Huth, who alleged that he sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager in the 1970s.
The jury, consisting of eight women and four men, awarded Huth $500,000 in damages. No punitive damages were awarded.
Huth first filed the case in 2014, alleging sexual assault and willful and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The original file stated that the incident took place in 1974, when Huth was 15 years old, but the timeline was later revised to 1975, when she was 16 years old.
Through his lawyers, Cosby, 84, has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
In his complaint, Huth said he met Cosby at a park where he was filming a movie. After befriending Huth and a female friend, Cosby allegedly invited them to his tennis club. From there, Huth claimed, the comedian invited them to a house where he served the young women various alcoholic drinks and then took them to the Playboy Mansion.
Huth claimed that even though Cosby knew her age and that of her friend, he advised the teenagers “that if any of the Playboy Bunnies asked how old they were, they should say they were 19.” She further claimed that Cosby took her to a room in the mansion where he sexually molested her.
Huth was happy as he spoke briefly to reporters outside a courthouse in Santa Monica, California. “I was elated,” she said of the verdict. “It’s been so many years, so many tears.”
This case “proves that you can run but you can’t hide,” said Nathan Goldberg, Huth’s attorney.
Cosby’s representative and attorney were booed by onlookers as they gave statements to the media. “What happened today was not a win because they didn’t get the punitive damages,” said Cosby’s rep Andrew Wyatt, insisting the comedian is happy with the verdict.
Cosby was not present at the trial, and his team plans to file an appeal.
Since 2005, more than 50 women have accused the comedian of sexual assault. After being convicted of a case in Philadelphia, Cosby served just under three years in a Pennsylvania state prison before his conviction was overturned on appeal. He was released from prison in September 2021.
Source: CNN Brasil
