A woman has accused US comedian and actor Bis Cosby of sexually abusing her as a teenager 45 years ago. In a civil lawsuit in California, she was now right.
It's Bill Cosby's first Conviction in a civil lawsuit for sexual abuse (archive image)
A jury in Santa Monica, California, has sentenced the former US television star to pay the plaintiff $500,000 in damages. The 64-year-old accused 84-year-old Cosby of sexually assaulting her in 1975 when she was 16. The scene was the villa of “Playboy” founder Hugh Hefner in Los Angeles. According to the indictment, Cosby first got the teen drunk and then took her there.
The actor, who stayed away from the trial, denies any assault. The woman only filed her lawsuit in 2014, and the process was later put on hold for several years. From a criminal point of view, the allegations are time-barred. However, California law allows civil actions by adults who were victims of sexual violence when they were minors, even after the usual statute of limitations.
Most cases are statute-barred
More than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse, but most cases are statute-barred. In 2018, the former TV star was found guilty in a Pennsylvania state lawsuit of sexually abusing a woman in 2004. The court found it proven that Cosby drugged his victim in his home in the east coast metropolis of Philadelphia and molested the woman.
Cosby was sentenced to several years in prison. After serving around three years in prison, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the verdict on formal grounds. He was released in June last year.
Bill Cosby was released from prison at the end of June 2021
The actor has been revered in the US as “America's Dad” for decades. As the amiable doctor and good-natured father of a family on The Bill Cosby Show, he was one of the country's most popular TV stars before becoming an outlaw over allegations of sexual abuse. Cosby's 2018 conviction was the first guilty verdict against a celebrity since the #MeToo movement began.
se/fab (afp, dpa, ap)