Bill Cosby lost a civil case against a sexual assault lawsuit

Bill Cosby may have been released from prison last year, but his troubles are still far from over it seems.

Yesterday, after 3 days of deliberations, the L.A. Superior Court found Bill Cosby guilty of sexual assault back in the 1970’s. The statue of limitations had expired for a criminal case, but California law allowed for Judy Huth – who was 16 at the time – to file a civil case against Cosby.

Huth alleged that Cosby had sexually assaulted her when she was just 16 in a bedroom at the Playboy Mansion. According to Huth, Cosby brought her and a friend along and told them to tell anyone who asks that they were 19.

Cosby was not present at the trial that took place in Santa Monica, but his legal team was. Huth was awarded $500,000, but she was not awarded any punitive damages.

“This was a huge victory for us because they was (sic) looking for millions of dollars,” Cosby’s representative Andrew Wyatt said Tuesday, in an attempt to put a positive spin on that day’s outcome. “That amount will not cover the legal bills and we will be appealing that matter. However, Mr. Cosby will not be paying punitive damages.”

Huth’s attorney Gloria Allred – who has been leading the charge with the majority of the lawsuits against Cosby – also released a statement.

“First, we thank the jury for their verdict of compensatory damages that they have awarded our client, Ms. Huth. The verdict is $500,000. Second, we thank our client Judy Huth for her courage and many sacrifices to win justice in this case. We are honored to represent her. Third, I want to thank my partners Nathan Goldberg and John West for being exceptional litigators and trial lawyers in this case, and I want the world to know that I feel blessed that they have both been my law partners for so many decades. Fourth, I want to thank all of the women who spoke out over the years, and refused to be silent in the face of what they believed to be injustice and sexual abuse by powerful men.

The late United States Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, once said, “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Today our client, Judy Huth, won real change because she fought Bill Cosby one step at a time over seven and a half years, and she proved with the jury’s verdict that Mr. Cosby did sexually assault her when she was a minor, and that he should be held accountable for what he did to her.

We are proud of Ms. Huth and our victory against Bill Cosby.”

Last June, Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned, due to a deal he had cut in 2005 with a prosecutor who promised not to charge him in exchange for sitting for a deposition. At that point, Cosby had already been serving his second year in prison when he was released. Since his release, he has kept a generally low profile, despite initial rumors of a plan of starting a new comedy tour that never materialized.