Bill Cosby Ordered to Pay $59.25M in Rape & Drugging Case: Jury Verdict
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A California jury on Monday ordered Bill Cosby to pay a total of $59.25 million to Donna Motsinger, a former waitress who alleged he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972. The award comes after jurors found Cosby liable for sexual battery and assault following a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica.
The jury initially awarded Motsinger $19.25 million in damages, including $17.5 million for past mental trauma and $1.75 million for potential future mental suffering. On Monday afternoon, jurors added $40 million in punitive damages, citing Cosby’s alleged “malice, oppression, or fraud,” according to court documents.
“This verdict is not just about me – it’s about finally being heard and holding Mr. Cosby accountable,” Motsinger said in a statement released Monday evening. “I have carried the weight of what happened to me for more than 50 years. It never goes away. Today, a jury saw the truth and held him accountable. That means everything. I hope this gives strength to other survivors who are still waiting for their moment to be heard.”
Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, stated the defense intends to appeal the verdict. The financial implications of the judgment remain uncertain, as Cosby, 88, has reportedly faced financial difficulties in recent years, selling off properties to cover expenses.
Motsinger filed her lawsuit in 2023, detailing an encounter that began when she worked as a waitress at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California, a frequent haunt for celebrities. She alleged Cosby invited her to a comedy show at the Circle Star Theatre in San Carlos, and that he gave her a pill he claimed was aspirin. According to court filings, Motsinger then experienced a period of lost consciousness and awoke at her home partially clothed.
The incident occurred the same night Cosby recorded his best-selling comedy album, Inside the Mind of Bill Cosby.
This case is one of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Cosby since 2014, when a stand-up routine by Hannibal Buress brought renewed attention to previous accusations. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand, a former Temple University athletics administrator. However, that conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021 on procedural grounds, leading to his release from prison.
Constand testified during the Motsinger trial, as did several other women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault. In a separate case in the same Santa Monica courthouse, Cosby was found liable in June 2022 for sexually assaulting Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, and ordered to pay $500,000 in damages.
During the Motsinger trial, Cosby declined to testify in his own defense. When asked in a deposition video if he had sex with Motsinger, he responded, “remember if I did or not.” Cosby has consistently denied allegations of nonconsensual sex, and his legal team has argued that he is being unfairly targeted due to his public profile.