Today’s 64-year-old Judy Huth accuses Cosby of forcing her to perform a sex act at Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old.
Her lawyers will describe the evidence they plan to present and according to the AP, these will consist of Huth’s testimony, reinforced by photos and other archival material to place the incident in time.
The trial begins almost a year after 85-year-old Bill Cosby’s prison sentence was overturned by the Pennsylvania Court of Appeals.
The comedian was released in July 2021 after being sentenced and serving more than two years of his potentially ten-year prison sentence, for drugging and exploiting university employee Andrea Constand in 2004.
In total, about 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse.
The statute of limitations for criminal charges in Huth’s case has long since expired, but she can claim damages due to a recent California law, which extends the period during which victims of child sexual abuse can file civil lawsuits.
Cosby’s lawyers, who say no sexual assaults have taken place, are likely to emphasize that the burden of proof in the current, almost 50-year-old case lies entirely with the plaintiffs. They have admitted that Cosby took Huth to the Playboy Mansion, as a photo from the visit shows, but say they think she was not a minor when it happened.
Bill Cosby will not testify or appear during the trial in Los Angeles.