Bill Cosby won’t face charges in Playboy Mansion sex case, DA says
Bill Cosby will not be charged with a crime after a woman claimed he molested her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, Los Angeles prosecutors said Tuesday.
In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judy Huth said she and a 16-year-old friend met the comedian that year at a San Marino park. The alleged assault occurred later, after Huth said Cosby gave her alcohol to drink and led her to the mansion.
It’s one of a series of sexual assault accusations made against Cosby, 77. Two of his television projects have been halted, many on-stage appearances canceled and reruns of his much-revered “The Cosby Show” yanked from the air.
The Los Angeles Police Department agreed to look into some of these claims.
Los Angeles prosecutors said the 40-year-old case is far past the statute of limitations. They noted the statute of limitations at the time of the alleged incident was three years.
“Therefore, prosecution today for any potential felony sex crime from 1974 would also be barred,” the D.A. said in a court document.
The laws back then would have made the crime only a misdemeanor, the DA said.
Cosby’s lawyers have called the assault claims discredited and defamatory. In 2006, he settled for an undisclosed sum a lawsuit brought by another woman, Andrea Constand, who claimed Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her.
For more breaking news, follow @JosephSerna.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.