Bill Cosby accuser tried to extort comedian of $250,000, attorney says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Bill Cosby's attorney, Martin Singer, is firing back against the Riverside County woman who accused the comic legend of sexually abusing her as a minor. Singer says there's a variety of reasons this case should be thrown out.

In an official response to a lawsuit filed by Judy Huth, Singer says Huth's claims are "absolutely false." In the filing, Cosby also seeks more than $33,000 from Huth and her attorney, Marc. S. Strecker.

Huth says she and a 16-year-old friend first met Cosby on a movie set at Lacy Park in San Marino in 1974 when she was just 15 years old. They approached Cosby, who after conversation invited them to visit his tennis club the following Saturday.

The next week, Huth and her friend met the actor at his tennis club. Upon arrival, Cosby told them to follow him to a house, where he served them alcohol and played billiards with Huth. For every game Cosby won, Huth was told to drink a beer, the lawsuit alleges.

The suit further claims that after several drinks, Cosby led them to another house in Los Angeles that turned out to be the Playboy Mansion. He allegedly told them to say they were 19 if asked their age.

While at the Playboy Mansion, Huth claims she asked to use a bathroom. After Cosby escorted her to the bathroom inside the mansion, he "proceeded to sexually molest her."

Singer says that Huth threatened Cosby that she'd make this story public 10 years ago by selling it to a tabloid. She allegedly wanted somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000 to stay quiet.

Attorney Barry Edwards says Strecker, Huth's attorney, did not follow the correct legal procedures in filing this suit, so this case will almost certainly be dismissed without Cosby having to testify.

"The lawsuit doesn't comply with the code, it's not one that seems to be sustainable, it doesn't have any merit because the statute of limitations has run," said Edwards.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck says Huth never reported the incident to police.

"We will look at any allegations that is brought forward to us, none have been brought forward to us at this point, but we will obviously, regardless of statute, investigate if they're brought to us," said Beck.

Nearly 20 women have come forward publicly claiming that Cosby sexually abused them, including three clients of Gloria Allred's Wednesday.

Helen Hayes says Cosby followed her around day and night at an event in Pebble Beach in 1973. She and her friends tried to lose him, but he found them.

"From behind, he reached over my shoulder and grabbed my right breast. I was stunned and angry because he had no right to do that," said Hayes. "His behavior was like that of a predator."

None of the women filed complaints soon enough for Cosby to face criminal charges. Cosby still refuses to comment publicly, but told "Florida Today" over the weekend, "I know people are tired of me not saying anything but a guy doesn't have to answer to innuendos. People should fact-check."

Huth and Strecker did not respond to Eyewitness News' request for comment.

Cosby has chosen not to comment, but the fallout for him continues. A photo from 2011 shows Cosby receiving an honorary title of "Master Chief Petty Officer" from the U.S. Navy. Cosby enlisted in the Navy in 1956 and served for four years as a Hospital Corpsman. The Navy says it is revoking Cosby's honorary title because the allegations against him are in conflict with the Navy's core values.

Several of Cosby's comedy shows and upcoming TV projects have also been shelved because of these allegations.