SANTA MONICA—A jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexually assaulting Judy Huth in 1975 in a civil lawsuit on Tuesday, June 21 inside a Santa Monica courtroom.

Judy Huth, now 64, made claims that Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy mansion when she was 16-years-old. Huth and a friend, Donna Samuelson, both 16 and 17 at the time, met Cosby while on-set of a movie he was filming in San Marino. Days later, Cosby reportedly invited Huth and Samuelson to a tennis club for drinks, then surprised them with a trip to the Playboy Mansion where he instructed them both to tell attendees that they were 18-years-old, if asked.

While at the Playboy Mansion, Cosby allegedly took Huth and Samuelson to a game room. Huth asked to use the bathroom in an adjoining bedroom – when she came out of the bathroom, Cosby was apparently sitting on the bed, “tapping the bed” as if to say “come here,” one of Huth’s lawyers, Nathan Goldberg stated. She “timidly” agreed and that’s “when he pounced,” allegedly putting his hands down her pants, exposing himself, then grabbing her hand to force her to perform a sex act.

During emotional testimony, Huth described that she was “mad” and “felt duped, fooled” and was “let down” and “hurt,” that the famous comedian she once admired, whose comedy records her father use to collect, tried to put his hands down her pants and forced her to perform a sex act on him.  

“I had my eyes closed at that point,” Huth said in court. “I was freaking out.”

The jurors as part of their decision awarded Huth $500,000 in damages. Upon dismissal of the jury, Huth hugged her lawyers and was seen smiling. “I feel vindicated,” Huth told a courtroom reporter while she was standing with her lawyer, Gloria Allred.

“It’s a big, big step forward for all the victims out there,” Huth said. “It’s about time he has paid for what he has done to so many women.”

Cosby maintained his innocence and did not appear or testify in court. One of Cosby’s lawyers, Jennifer Bonjean, felt a sense of “relief” that no extra punitive damages were awarded. “It is extraordinarily difficult to defend against ancient claims,” Bonjean said. “Finding no punitive damages was a significant win for us.”