How much will Bill Cosby have to pay after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teen at the Playboy Mansion?
The 84-year-old was ordered to pay damages to plaintiff Judy Huth after she sued him for sexual assault dating back to a meeting when she was 16.
Once known as “America’s Dad,” the fall of Bill Cosby was sudden and fast. He may have believed that his release from prison last year would have been the end of his legal woes, but he has suffered another defeat. Once again it relates to sexual assault.
This time, a civil trial has found him liable for $500,000 in damages to Judy Huth. They met in the Playboy Mansion in 1975 where she testified she was forced to perform a sex act on the comedian when she was 16.
What did Huth allege of Cosby?
Ms Huth’s suit alleged that he brought her and another underage friend to the house. After some time lured her to a bedroom and Cosby forced himself on her.
When she resisted, he forced her to perform a sex act on him. Huth told the court she felt “mad, duped and foolish” after the incident. There was photo evidence of the two at the house.
Cosby was not present at all throughout proceedings. It was the first civil case brought against him that went to trial, but further legal action could be some way off.
As this was a civil case, the burden of proof does not have to be absolute; the jury only has to decide in all likelihood whether the plaintiff has an argument.
Cosby’s other accusations
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In terms of criminal charges, Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
This conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year. He was released from prison after serving nearly three years.