Source: Douglas Elbinger / Getty
The legal battles of disgraced comedian Bill Cosby are not quite over just because he was released from prison last year after his sexual assault conviction was overturned.
According to the New York Post, this Wednesday, attorneys will give opening statements in a civil trial for 64-year-old Judy Huth, who has accused Cosby of forcing her to perform a sex act at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old.
From the Post:
Cosby’s attorneys, who say no sexual abuse happened, are likely to emphasize that the burden of proving the nearly 50-year-old case lies entirely with the plaintiffs. They have acknowledged that Cosby took Huth to the Playboy Mansion, as a photo from the visit shows, but say they believe she was not a minor when it happened.
So, are Cosby’s attorneys going to try to prove that Huth wasn’t 16 in 1975, or that Cosby took her to the Playboy Mansion in a different year when she was of legal age? It’s just strange how Cosby always manages to come off sleazy even in defending himself against the sexual abuse allegations against him.
Of course, in this instance, he won’t be defending himself or even likely appearing in court during this civil trial, which has been reported as being one of the last remaining legal claims against him.
According to the Post—which noted that “several other lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct were settled by his insurer against his will”—the judge presiding over the trial ruled that Cosby could assert his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, meaning he’s not required to give testimony during the court proceedings. In fact, Cosby isn’t expected to attend the trial at all.
