A woman named Judy Huth has filed a lawsuit accusing Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974; Huth alleges that she was 15 when she met Cosby in a Los Angeles park and that she was abused days later after he gave her “multiple alcoholic beverages.” The age of consent in California is 18.
Gawker has posted the suit, which seeks unspecified financial damages from Cosby. It’s the only known lawsuit to have been filed by a woman who’s come forward this year to accuse the comedian of sexual assault or rape, though accuser Louisa Moritz is reportedly considering a class action suit.
One point at issue in the case is whether Huth has recently discovered psychological/emotional damage resulting from Cosby’s actions, which would allow her to seek redress even if Cosby would otherwise be protected by statute of limitations rules. Huth’s suit says she “the date that Plaintiff discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, that her psychological injuries and illnesses were caused by the sexual abuse perpetrated by COSBY, was within the three years prior to the filing of this complaint.” From Gawker:
Under California’s Civil Procedure laws, the statute of limitations for childhood sex abuse generally tolls “within eight years of the date the plaintiff attains the age of majority,” but can extend when the victim realizes or should have realized years later that she was injured by the abuse.
Cosby’s representatives have not yet responded to Huth’s allegations.
