Comedian Bill Cosby stumbles as he arrives for a court appearance in Elkins Park, PA on Wednesday, December 30, 2015. Cosby was arrested and charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in January 2004. (Matt Rourke, Associated Press)
As things start to heat up in the defamation suit against Bill Cosby, legal experts are predicting a grim outlook for the comedian.
Sexual abuse lawyer John Manly told HuffPost Live on Monday that a guilty verdict for Cosby, who countersued the plaintiffs in the case, could wreak havoc on his finances.
Manly estimated Cosby’s assets to be approximately $350 million, and he said a considerable amount of that may be up for grabs considering the gravity of Cosby’s alleged crimes.
While the civil case against the comedian only focuses on defamation, the lingering allegations of sexual abuse will likely weigh heavy on the jury’s mind.
“Juries understand the profound psychological impact that this has on victims,” Manly said. “And a jury, if they believe that Mr Cosby did this, is gonna have no time for it. So there’s multiple levels of damages they could award.”
Manly estimated that victims could be awarded actual damages as high as $5 million to $10 million for psychological harm, past and future harm and past and future loss of income. Personal injury lawyer Brad Edwards added that punitive damages would take a much larger toll due to the repetitive nature of Cosby’s alleged crimes.
Edwards suggested that punitive damages — which could be reduced or remitted after the trial — could go as high as $50 million per guilty verdict, while Manly predicted an even higher figure between $50 million and $100 million per guilty verdict. And with seven plaintiffs involved, it’s safe to say the case could get expensive very quickly.