As the number of sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby grows, the comedian is now facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims Cosby molested her when she was 15. In a suit filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, Judy Huth states that Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lawsuit marks the first time the latest wave of accusationsagainst Cosby has resulted in legal action.
While the state of California canonly pursue criminal charges against Cosby had the incident occurred in 1988 or after due to the statute of limitations, a civil trial could proceed if Huth can prove that she has developed psychological injuries and illnesses in the past three years as a result of the decades-old alleged assault.
This traumatic incident, at such a tender age, has caused psychological damage and mental anguish for the plaintiff that has caused her significant problems throughout her life, Huths lawsuit states. According to the suit, Huth and a girlfriend met Cosby on a film set in 1974. The next weekend, Huth and her friend joined Cosby at his house for billiards and beer before the comedian took the girls to the Playboy Mansion.
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Once there, after using the bathroom, Huth found Cosby waiting for her in a bed, where he proceeded to sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent. Huth is seeking unspecified damages for sexual battery and emotional distress.
As the Hollywood Reporter notes, Andrea Constand also sued Cosby in 2005, claiming the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her. In the lead-up to that trial, Constands legal team lined up over a dozen women to testify theyexperienced a similar incident while with Cosby. The case was ultimately settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
One of Cosbys rape accusers, an artist named Barbara Bowman, shared her experience recently with Rolling Stone. He is going to go down, she said. I believe he will go down as this generations most prolific serial rapist. We are gathering a lot of details. I am not in a position to reveal things I have learned. I have heard from men and women, from people with information. And I think the publics mind will be blown.
I have been trying to be heard since 2006, Bowman added. Huths lawsuit and subsequent trial might finally be the venue in which all of Cosbys victims voices are heard.