Jury Orders Bill Cosby to Pay $19.3 Million for 1972 Assault Claim

In a landmark decision on Monday, a jury has mandated that Bill Cosby pay $19 million in damages for being found responsible for the sexual assault of a woman who worked as a waitress in 1972.

The plaintiff, Donna Motsinger, claimed in her lawsuit that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her following his pick-up in a limousine, leading to a comedy performance in San Carlos, California. At the time, Motsinger was employed at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, where Cosby frequented while preparing a stand-up album in a nearby venue.

As stated in her lawsuit, Cosby had developed a friendship with Motsinger and invited her to attend his show. She recounted that he provided her with a glass of wine during the car journey, after which she began to feel unwell upon arriving in his dressing room. She reportedly experienced lapses in consciousness and eventually revived at her home, with only her underwear remaining on her body.

The trial commenced in early March, culminating in the jury granting $19.25 million in compensatory damages, alongside the determination that punitive damages would also be applicable. A separate hearing is expected to finalize the punitive amount.

Cosby's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, expressed intentions to contest the jury's ruling.

"We are disappointed but will be appealing," Bonjean remarked.

In response to Motsinger's allegations, Cosby has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he did not drug or assault her. His legal team has dismissed her claims as speculative, contending that she lacks recollection of the events.

Motsinger’s lawsuit was initiated in 2023, following the enactment by California Governor Gavin Newsom of a law that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on certain sexual assault claims.

The 88-year-old Cosby was previously mandated to compensate another victim, Judy Huth, with $500,000 for an incident at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when Huth was a minor. Cosby chose to withdraw his appeal of that judgment earlier this January.

In addition, Cosby was convicted in 2018 on sexual assault charges in Pennsylvania, serving three years in prison until an appeals court annulled the conviction based on prosecutorial misconduct in violating a prior agreement that deferred prosecution.