Daughter Is Defended in Cosby Case

The mother of a woman on trial for allegedly trying to extort $40 million from Bill Cosby defended her daughter Monday, saying the young woman was “just trying to get what she felt was hers.”

Autumn Jackson, 22, is accused in federal court of trying to make Cosby pay up by threatening to go public with her claim that she is his out-of-wedlock child. Jury selection began Monday.

Jackson’s mother, Shawn Thompson, told reporters outside court that her daughter “wasn’t trying to extort money from her dad. She was just trying to get what she felt was hers.”

Because she is a possible witness, Thompson, 44, was barred from Monday’s proceedings. Her daughter sat silently at the defense table as U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones questioned potential jurors. Jury selection is expected to last at least two days,

Cosby is one of several witnesses prosecutors plan to call to show that Jackson and two other defendants tried to make millions in January by threatening to sully the reputation of the entertainer.

Cosby, who has been married for 33 years, has said he does not believe that he is Jackson’s father. But he has conceded that he had an affair with Thompson.