Who is Judy Huth? Bill Cosby sued for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 15
Bill Cosby's troubles are far from over after the court tossed his sexual assault conviction, releasing him from prison after he served more than two years of his three to ten years sentence. The formerly disgraced star's lawyers recently addressed a judge serving the Los Angeles Supreme Court where Cosby is facing a civil lawsuit bought against him by a woman.
Judy Huth has accused Cosby of assaulting her as a teenager at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion in 1974. The case was originally filed in 2014 but has been on hold since then. Cosby was summoned for a deposition in the case where he had refused to answer any questions. At the beginning of 2020, California civil law was amended to allow victims of childhood sex abuse to sue over very old events. Childhood assault survivors up until the age of 40 could file a civil lawsuit.
READ MORE
Can Bill Cosby be tried again? Disgraced comedian walks free as survivors relive trauma
'It’s horrifying': Celebs outraged after Bill Cosby is released from prison
The change in laws also facilitated a chance for victims to file claims that could not be filed under previous laws in a three-year window. Huth was a minor at the time she was allegedly assualted making her potentially eligible to the three-year window, according to an article. Cosby's attorney Michael Freedman said in a status conference report released on August 11 that after an "unlawful three-year incarceration" Cosby will be pleading the Fifth Amendment in this case as he cannot risk the same situation again.
Who is Judy Huth?
Judy Huth is one amongst at least 60 women who have accused Cosby of sexual assauly and misconduct but due to the statute of limitations expiring in many cases, Cosby was onl convicted of assaulting Lauren Constand. According to an article, 15-year-old Judy and her friend, 16, met Cosby in 1964 at a Los Angeles park where he was filming a movie. Court filings say the girls told Cosby their age after which he invited them to his tennis club the following Saturday. The trio played billiards and later Cosby offered them alcohol.Everytime Cosby won a game it was the rule for Huth and her friend drinking beer.
Later on, he sneaked the girls inside the Playboy Mansion where Huth said he invited her to sit beside him in a bedroom suite and molested her, according to the court documents filed. What makes this case different is that it's the only one pending against Cosby that involved child abuse. Cosby had filed a counter suit in 2014 alleging Huth had tried to sell her story to the tabloids a decade meaning she would have realized the psychological damage back then so the statute of limitations is up.
Will Bill Cosby be allowed to invoke his Fifth Amendment right?
In the status conference report, Freedman said, "Defendant does not agree that merely because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated Defendant's criminal conviction for a single offense, allegedly arising from an incident that occurred in 2004, Defendant no longer enjoys a Fifth Amendment right to remain silent," said Freedman. "This is particularly so where numerous states have no criminal statutes of limitations for sex crimes...Having already been forced to face a malicious criminal prosecution that resulted in an unlawful three-year incarceration, Defendant is not confident that such a risk does not still exist in this jurisdiction and others," Freedman added.
Freedman said the criminal investigation into Huth's complain is still open and if "forced to sit for a deposition, he will exercise his Fifth Amendment guarantees absent a court order ruling that he has no Fifth Amendment right in this jurisdiction or any others." Huth's lawyer Gloria Allred on the other hand said she's looking forward to deposing Cosby. She said Cosby won't be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment Right during the second deposition as he is no longer facing criminal charges.
"Because the criminal case was pending, the taking of the second deposition was stayed," Allred told USA Today. "Now we will be able to take the deposition and he won't be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights because there are no criminal charges pending against him. There are many questions I want to ask him. He will be compelled to answer them," said Allred who represents 33 of his accusers and has vowed to fight for justice in court.