New details have emerged in a decades-old case involving Bill Cosby following a recent court decision. Reports indicate a jury reached a major verdict tied to allegations dating back to the early 1970s, with significant damages awarded in the civil lawsuit.
A jury in California reportedly awarded the woman who sued Bill Cosby $19 million
According to The New York Times, a California jury awarded Donna Motsinger damages after finding that Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972. The jury initially awarded $19.25 million for pain and suffering, including $17.5 million for past mental suffering and $1.75 million for future suffering. Jurors also found Cosby liable for sexual assault of an intoxicated woman and sexual battery.
The civil verdict came after three days of deliberations in Santa Monica. Motsinger, a former waitress, said Cosby invited her to a comedy show. She said he later gave her the substances that left her incapacitated. According to the complaint, “Next thing she knew, she was going in and out of consciousness,” and “she knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby.”
The jury later imposed an additional $40 million in punitive damages, bringing the total judgment to $59.25 million. Jurors determined Cosby acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud,” allowing for punitive damages in a second phase of the trial. An expert witness testified that Cosby’s net worth was approximately $128 million.
Cosby, 88, denied the allegations and has maintained that all encounters were consensual. His lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, argued against punitive damages, stating, “This is not about providing deterrence,” and added, “A blind 88-year-old man can’t leave his house.” She said Cosby planned to appeal the verdict and challenge the size of the award.
The case adds to longstanding allegations against Cosby, as dozens of women have accused him of sexual misconduct over several decades. A court convicted him in 2018 in a separate case. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court released him in 2021 after overturning the conviction on due process grounds.
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