A Los Angeles jury on Monday found Bill Cosby liable for sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger, a former restaurant server who alleged the disgraced comedian drugged her at one of his performances in 1972. The jury awarded Motsinger $19.25 million in damages, with the possibility of additional punitive damages still under consideration.
Motsinger, who was in her 30s at the time of the alleged assault, worked as a waitress at The Trident, a celebrity hotspot in Sausalito where Cosby was a regular customer. According to the lawsuit, Cosby followed her home to Mill Valley one evening and asked to escort her to his show at the Circle Star Theater.
The complaint details how Cosby picked up Motsinger in a limousine and offered her a glass of wine during the ride. Once at the venue, Motsinger said she began feeling ill and was given what she believed was aspirin. She then drifted in and out of consciousness before waking up at her home with all her clothes removed except her underwear.
This marks at least the second civil court ruling finding Cosby liable for sexual assault. In 2022, a California jury concluded that he sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. Cosby, who has consistently maintained that any sexual encounters were consensual, did not testify at the trial.
Motsinger was among the anonymous accusers in the landmark 2005 lawsuit filed by former Temple University athletics director Andrea Constand. The current trial featured testimony from Constand and two other accusers: Janice Baker Kinney and Victoria Valentino. In a separate ongoing lawsuit, Valentino has accused Cosby of raping her in 1969 after she auditioned for an acting role.
The financial judgment comes as Cosby faces mounting economic pressures from multiple legal battles. Last year, he was sued for defaulting on a $17.5 million mortgage for his Manhattan townhouse. Court filings suggest he has been accused of transferring property to his wife in an alleged attempt to shield assets from creditors and plaintiffs.
Cosby's legal troubles stem from a series of allegations dating back decades, with dozens of women coming forward with accusations of sexual assault and rape. He served more than two years of a prison sentence after being convicted of aggravated indecent assault against Constand, though the Pennsylvania Supreme Court later overturned that conviction due to a non-prosecution agreement with a previous district attorney.
The comedian's fall from grace represents one of entertainment's most dramatic reversals. Once known as "America's Dad" for his role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," his career and public image collapsed under the weight of numerous sexual assault allegations that emerged publicly in the mid-2010s.
The possibility of additional punitive damages means Motsinger could receive an even larger award. Punitive damages are specifically designed to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct and serve as a deterrent to similar behavior.
For Cosby, now 88, the mounting legal costs and judgments represent not just financial strain but continued public reckoning with allegations that span decades. The case demonstrates how recent changes to statute of limitations laws have provided new avenues for survivors to seek justice in civil court, even when criminal prosecutions may no longer be possible.
The $19.25 million verdict places real financial consequences on allegations of misconduct, regardless of a defendant's celebrity status or the passage of time. As more survivors pursue civil remedies, the entertainment industry continues to grapple with the long-term consequences of alleged misconduct by powerful figures.