Yesterday (June 21), a civil court jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1975 [via The New York Times].
Judy Huth, the plaintiff, first came forward with her accusations against the comedian in 2014. The assault took place when she had accepted Cosby's invitation to join him at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
The California jury awarded Huth $500,000 USD in damages. She's one of more than 60 women who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Cosby, many of whom are unable to file lawsuits of their own due to the statute of limitations around sex crimes; the state of California allows people who were assaulted as minors a longer period of time to file a civil suit.
"I feel vindicated," Huth told a reporter in the courtroom after the verdict was announced.
And apparently so does the defendant: Cosby's spokesperson Andrew Wyatt relayed the disgraced entertainer's reaction on his behalf, telling TMZ that, upon hearing the verdict, Cosby said: "What? That's all? Booyah!"
He seems to be excited about the fact that court did not award any punitive damages, which could have cost him millions. Cosby still plans to appeal the verdict, though — and reportedly personally reached out to two jurors that had taken his side.
In 2018, Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting Temple University sports administrator Andrea Constand and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2021 after uncovering an agreement with a previous prosecutor that prevented him from being charged in the case. An appeal to review the overturned sentence was rejected in March of this year.
Judy Huth, the plaintiff, first came forward with her accusations against the comedian in 2014. The assault took place when she had accepted Cosby's invitation to join him at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
The California jury awarded Huth $500,000 USD in damages. She's one of more than 60 women who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Cosby, many of whom are unable to file lawsuits of their own due to the statute of limitations around sex crimes; the state of California allows people who were assaulted as minors a longer period of time to file a civil suit.
"I feel vindicated," Huth told a reporter in the courtroom after the verdict was announced.
And apparently so does the defendant: Cosby's spokesperson Andrew Wyatt relayed the disgraced entertainer's reaction on his behalf, telling TMZ that, upon hearing the verdict, Cosby said: "What? That's all? Booyah!"
He seems to be excited about the fact that court did not award any punitive damages, which could have cost him millions. Cosby still plans to appeal the verdict, though — and reportedly personally reached out to two jurors that had taken his side.
In 2018, Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting Temple University sports administrator Andrea Constand and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2021 after uncovering an agreement with a previous prosecutor that prevented him from being charged in the case. An appeal to review the overturned sentence was rejected in March of this year.
