Bill Cosby is refuting claims made by a Southern California woman, who sued the comedian this past week alleging that he sexually assaulted her 40 years ago at the Playboy Mansion when she was just 15 years old.
The embattled comic's lawyer Marty Singer filed papers, released to Us Weekly on Thursday, Dec. 4, claiming that the alleged victim Judy Huth, now 56, attempted to extort Cosby nearly 10 years ago by selling the story to a tabloid.
Huth's suit claimed that she and a 16-year-old friend were invited to Cosby's tennis club, where they had drinks. Afterward, he took her to the Mansion, where he allegedly forced her into "performing a sex act on himself without her consent." She claimed in her suit "severe and extreme emotional distress" following the alleged incident, realizing only years later the impact it had on her psychologically.
Cosby's filing slammed Huth's account of the alleged incident, saying it was "absolutely false." Singer also claimed that Huth's attorney Marc Strecker allegedly "made extortionate threats" alongside "ever-increasing demands for a six-figure payday to keep quiet about her long-since-expired claims."
The amount of money demanded, according to Singer, has ranged from $100,000 to $250,000.
Singer has requested that a judge dismiss the suit for multiple reasons. He wrote, "Plaintiff's first cause of action for sexual battery fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action." According to Singer, Huth's lawsuit did not include a certification from a psychologist backing up her claims of trauma. He also wrote that she "is expressly prohibited under the statute from identifying the defendant by his name."
Cosby's lawyer has asked the court to impose monetary sanctions of $33,295, to cover the cost of legal fees.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters on Thursday that the department would look into any accusations — even if they were outside the statute of limitations. "We don't turn people away because things are out of statute," Beck said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "You come to us, especially with a sexual allegation, we will work with you. We address these things seriously — and it's not just because it's Mr. Cosby."
The beleaguered former Cosby Show lead, 77, has been accused by more than 20 women of sexual assault and misconduct, including supermodel Janice Dickinson. His lawyers have described these allegations as "discredited" and "defamatory."
