UPDATE: A California jury ordered Bill Cosby to pay $59.25 million to Donna Motsinger, a woman he drugged and raped back in 1972.
The large sum was decided upon after a deliberation Monday afternoon by the civil sexual assault case’s jury, who awarded $40 million in punitive damages to plaintiff Motsinger, a former Bay Area waitress. This was in addition to the $19.25 million she was awarded in damages for her pain and suffering earlier in the day.
“This verdict is not just about me – it’s about finally being heard and holding Mr. Cosby accountable,” Motsinger said in a statement 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.”
Jennifer Bonjean, Cosby’s lawyer who previously argued against punitive damages, said the disgraced comedy legend plans to appeal the verdict and had already thought to challenge the award, per the New York Times. She noted that they have “a strong appeal” and plan to “pursue that.”
PREVIOUS: A California jury found Monday that Bill Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted former waitress Donna Motsinger in 1972 after one of his comedy shows.
According to The New York Times, a civil jury awarded Motsinger $19.25 million in damages. The jury found Cosby had sexually assault and drugged the woman and ordered to pay $17.5 million for Motsinger’s past trauma and an additional $1.75 million for the mental suffering endured the past 54 years.
“It has been 54 years to get justice, and I know it’s not complete for the rest of the women, but I hope it helps them a little bit,” Motsinger said outside the Santa Monica courthouse following the decision. She added that while the ruling was not a criminal trial with a guilty verdict, the damages were “icing on the cake.”
The former waitress’s 11-page complaint recounted the night she was brought from her work to Cosby’s show. According to the documents, Motsinger did not feel backstage and “Mr. Cosby gave her what she believed was an aspirin.”
“Last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light,” the complaint adds. “She woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on – no top, no bra, and no pants.”
Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women in claims that date back to 2000. The accusations span decades of Cosby’s career and include rape, sexual battery, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. In December 2015 he was charged with three Class II felony counts of aggravated indecent assault in a trial that ultimately concluded in a 2017 mistrial.
Cosby was retried the following year and found guilty on all three counts. He was sentenced to three to ten years in state prison before his conviction was overturned in 2021 on a technicality. Cosby also previously admitted to having sex with multiple women after providing them with prescription sedatives.
In June 2023, former Playboy model Victoria Valentino filed a lawsuit accusing Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1969. She was preceded by nine women who filed a lawsuit in June 2023 that alleged Cosby “drugged, assaulted and raped them” between 1979 and 1992.
