Bill Cosby revealed in his testimony that he had been making covert payments to a woman who claims to be his daughter and is accused of attempting to extort $40 million from him.
According to Cosby, the payments ceased after Autumn Jackson approached CBS and his sponsors, threatening to disclose to a tabloid newspaper that she was his illegitimate child.
Cosby expressed that this marked the end of the payments, feeling that the situation was irreversible.
He then told his lawyer to inform Shawn Upshaw, Jackson’s mother, about the demand.
Cosby admitted to having a brief affair with Upshaw in Las Vegas in the early 1970s, during which he gave her a total of $100,000.
The actor also shared that he occasionally offered Jackson encouragement over the phone, urging her to remain in school and improve her life, but he never told her to consider him her father.
Instead, he offered to be a father figure for her. Cosby disclosed that he once backed out of a paternity blood test with Jackson and her mother, fearing that a “bounty hunter” would leak the news to tabloids.
Jackson and co-defendant Jose Medina, 51, were arrested in Cosby’s lawyer’s Manhattan office in January after traveling from Los Angeles to collect $24 million from the comedian in exchange for not selling their story to the Globe, a tabloid newspaper.
A third defendant, Boris Sabas, 42, was later arrested and charged with participating in the alleged plot.
Defense lawyers argue that Jackson was not committing a crime, but instead negotiating with the representative of someone she believed to be her father.
Cosby testified that he first met Upshaw in the early 1970s at a Los Angeles hotel, where he asked her to dance and for her phone number.
He later called her and invited her to Las Vegas. He was married at the time of their affair and informed his wife, Camille, about it 17 years ago.
Cosby recalled another meeting with Upshaw in a Las Vegas hotel living room, where she showed him a photo of a child, claiming it was his daughter, Autumn.
Cosby denied the claim. Upshaw later began asking to borrow money, mentioning Autumn as his daughter and stating she had not told anyone.
Cosby estimated that he paid Upshaw around $100,000 over the years out of concern that she would publicly reveal their sexual encounter.
The payments were concealed by having employees use their own names on cashier’s checks or traveler’s checks after Cosby provided the funds.
Cosby committed to paying for the college education of all of Upshaw’s children but never put his name on a check for fear of it being used against him.
Payments to Jackson were sent through his lawyer rather than his foundation, which has provided scholarships to 300 students.
Cosby did not want the foundation’s board to discover Upshaw’s identity and have her ask the board for money.
When Jackson was 16 or 17, she visited Cosby on the set of his show with her grandmother, where he introduced her to the cast and discussed education and her home life.
During the visit, Cosby introduced her as Autumn Jackson, and she referred to him as “Mr. Cosby.”
He confirmed that he never told her he was her father and had not seen her again since then, though they spoke on the phone.
When Jackson started college in Florida, Cosby frequently spoke to her, trying to help her succeed, just as he did for other students he financially supported.
In December, Cosby received a message that Autumn Cosby had called.
He perceived this as a threat. Cosby testified that when he called her back, Jackson, who had dropped out of school, told him about a TV project she was working on with Medina in Los Angeles and requested to borrow $2,100, as she was on the verge of losing her car due to missed payments.
Cosby inquired why she had used his last name, to which she replied that she hadn’t said anything about their connection but merely mentioned that she knew him. Cosby warned her not to tell anyone about their relationship.
After learning that Jackson was homeless, Cosby provided her with $3,000 for living expenses.
However, calls to Cosby’s law firm increased throughout the month and into January.
Jackson informed Cosby’s lawyer that she had an unsigned contract from the Globe and demanded millions in exchange for her silence.
Cosby recounted a phone call with Jackson in which he expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m tired of you. I’m tired of your mother. You and your mother have never given me a happy moment for what I’ve given you.”
He offered her $200 a week to attend film classes at UCLA, telling her to take it or leave it.
Later, when Jackson demanded $40 million, Cosby instructed his lawyer to contact Upshaw and inform her of her daughter’s threat.
Cosby wanted Upshaw to be aware of her daughter’s actions.
