Bill Cosby case update: Comedian found guilty of assaulting teen at Playboy mansion in the 1970s

Bill Cosby, the 84-year-old comedian implicated in several sexual misconduct and assault charges, has now been found guilty in yet another harassment case.

This time, the Jury was deliberating on whether Cosby had abused a 16-year-old in the infamous Playboy Mansion in 1975. At the time, Cosby was a 38-year-old comedian at the height of his fame for shows such as I Spy and Fat Albert.

Following the conclusion of a 2-week-long trial, the jury decided in favour of the victim on Tuesday afternoon.

Judy Huth, who is now 64, is being awarded $500,000 in damages.

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What did Bill Cosby do to Judy Huth?

In the lawsuit, Huth alleged that she had met Cosby at a San Marino Park, Los Angeles in 1975. The actor had taken her out and bought her alcohol despite her being underaged.

After they had met a few more times, he took her to the Playboy Mansion - a Holmby Hills Estate owned by Hugh Hefner, the owner of Playboy magazine. The mansion had a reputation for wild parties, and the girls there were allegedly told to lie and say they were 19. It was during one such party that Cosby reportedly carried out the assault.

According to People, after a 2-week-long trial, the jury decided that Cosby had indeed abused Huth in the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was a 16-year-old minor.

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The Downfall of “America’s Dad”

According to Slate, while numerous misconduct-related accusations had been made against Cosby as early as the 1960’s, the star continued to receive adulation from fans due to his warm, fatherly presence on screen.

By the time the comedian began to face accusations of abuse, he had already cemented himself as an American icon, being perceived as what the New Yorker called “America’s Dad”

According to the Daily Beast, Cosby's downfall began with an October 2014 comedy routine by Hannibal Buress, who joked about the superstar’s allegedly predatory nature. As the video went viral, many women felt emboldened and began to speak out about the abuse they had reportedly faced at the hands of Cosby.

In 2015, at a press conference, he claimed that the allegations were senseless. In 2018, the comedian was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault from 2004.

While he was initially sentenced to a term of three to ten years in prison, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2021

Cosby is currently still facing two other active cases. Besides the Playboy Mansion Case, he has also been accused by Lili Bernard of luring her into an Atlantic City resort and abusing her.