Lawyers for Bill Cosby are claiming victory in the in the latest sexual assault civil case that awarded $500,000 in damages to Judy Huth for a 1975 incident at the playboy mansion in Los Angeles.
Cosby’s lawyers are pointing to the fact that Ms Huth now 64, had offered her photo with Cosby to tabloids and others in search of an $8M payout but has been awarded a substantially less amount.
Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt said the comedian plans to file an appeal on the $500,000 judgement.
“Mr. Cosby continues to maintain his innocence and will vigorously fight these false accusations, so that he can get back to bringing the pursuit of happiness, joy and laughter to the world,” Wyatt said in a statement.
Judy Huth accused Cosby of forcing her to perform a sex act on him at the mansion when she was just 16 years old though she had initially said she was 15 at the time of the incident, but changed that detail weeks before the trial.
Less than a year ago, Cosby walked free from prison after his sexual assault conviction was thrown out.
More than 50 women have come forward with abuse allegations against the man once known as America’s Dad, charges he denies.
This civil case against Cosby in Santa Monica, California, represented one of the last remaining legal actions against him. Filed in 2014, it was delayed for years by Cosby’s criminal proceedings.
Cosby was not required to appear in person at the trial and never did, but the court saw a 2015 deposition by Ms Huth’s attorneys, in which the comedian said he did not remember her and would not have pursued sex with a minor.
Jurors were also shown a videotaped 2016 deposition of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner – a close friend of Cosby in the 1970s – who said it would have been “very unusual” for underage girls to be allowed inside the mansion.
Cosby was convicted in 2018 of drugging and molesting a woman at his home in 2004 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.
The conviction, however, was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year. He was released from prison after serving nearly three years.