A jury in Santa Monica has ordered former comedian and actor Bill Cosby to pay $19.25 million in damages to a woman who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her more than five decades ago. The civil verdict, delivered in California, found Cosby liable for a 1972 incident involving Donna Motsinger, now 84, marking another significant legal development in the long-running series of allegations against the entertainer.
Motsinger testified that she first met Cosby while working at the Trident restaurant, a well-known celebrity hotspot at the time. According to her account, Cosby later picked her up in a limousine, offered her wine and a pill she believed to be aspirin, and took her to one of his shows. Court filings stated that the substance left her incapacitated, with Motsinger recalling only brief flashes before losing consciousness. She told the court she later awoke at home partially undressed, leading her to conclude she had been drugged and raped.
Bill Cosby, now 88, has denied the allegation, as well as similar claims made by dozens of women over the years. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said the decision would be appealed, arguing that Motsinger herself acknowledged uncertainty about what transpired. Over the years, more than 60 women have accused Cosby of misconduct, alleging a pattern of using drugs and alcohol to facilitate assaults. Although he was convicted in 2018 in a separate criminal case, that conviction was later overturned in 2021, leaving civil cases like this one as a primary avenue for legal accountability.
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