Santa Monica, Calif.: A California jury in a civil case ruled Tuesday that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted a woman at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was a teenager and that the comedian was to be compensated for emotional distress from the incident. Ordered to pay $500,000.
Judy Huth testified that the comedian had invited her and a friend to the mansion when she was 16, and that he was 37 when she was attacked.
The decision comes nearly a year after Cosby was released from prison when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down his sexual assault conviction in a separate criminal case.
Huth's trial was the first civil case to be prosecuted against Cosby.
Cosby, who did not appear personally at trial, denied Huth's allegations. Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt said his defense team would appeal the decision.
"Mr. Cosby maintains his innocence and will vigorously fight these false allegations, so that he can return to bring joy, happiness and laughter to the world," Wyatt said in a statement.
Cosby, 84, is best known for his role as beloved husband and father in the 1980s television comedy series "The Cosby Show", earning him the nickname "America's Dad". But his family-friendly reputation fell apart after more than 50 women accused him of sexual assault over nearly five decades.
The jury did not rule entirely in Hooth's favor. By a 9-3 vote, he said he had not provided "clear and convincing evidence" that Cosby had acted with "maliciousness, harassment or fraud".
If jurors had voted yes on that question, they could have awarded additional punitive damages to Huth.