A Riverside County woman filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Bill Cosby, alleging the comedian sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15.
In the lawsuit, Judy Huth said she and her 16-year-old friend met Cosby that year when they wandered over to a California movie set where Cosby was filming. Huth says the comedian invited them to sit down and asked their ages, USA Today reported.
Huth said Cosby invited the teenagers to his tennis club and then to another house. There, Cosby and Huth played billiards. She alleges she was forced to drink a beer for every game she lost. After being served “multiple alcoholic beverages,” the teenagers followed Cosby to the Playboy Mansion. The lawsuit says Cosby told the girls to say they were 19 if anyone asked.
Huth alleges she suffered “psychological injuries and illnesses” that she connected to the assault within the last three years. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for sexual battery and emotional distress, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Cosby has declined to discuss the recent slew of allegations. In a statement last week, his attorney, Martin D. Singer, called them “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories.”
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Martin D. Singer” author_title=”Attorney for Bill Cosby”]
There has never been a shortage of lawyers willing to represent people with claims against rich, powerful men, so it makes no sense that not one of these new women who just came forward for the first time now ever asserted a legal claim back at the time they allege they had been sexually assaulted.
[/quote]
Under California law, individuals accused of serious sexual assaults involving minor victims can be criminally charged only if the crimes occurred in 1988 or later.
On Monday, Cosby resigned from the Temple University board, after serving for decades. Over a dozen women have come forward accusing the comedian of sexual assault going back decades. The accusations have put a dent in Cosby’s comeback attempts. Shows on his comedy tour have been canceled, while NBC and Netflix have shelved projects featuring Cosby, the Washington Post reported.
