A California jury has awarded Donna Motsinger over $19 million following a civil trial regarding allegations of drugging and sexual assault by veteran entertainer Bill Cosby.
Motsinger, now 84, testified that the incident occurred more than five decades ago while she was working as a waitress.
According to court documents, the assault took place after Cosby provided her with a glass of wine and a substance she mistook for aspirin while traveling in his limousine. The victim reported drifting in and out of consciousness before waking up at her home partially undressed, leading to her realization that she had been violated.
The legal team representing the 88-year-old comedian maintained that he had no memory of the encounter but insisted that any sexual interaction between the two would have been consensual.
After three days of deliberation in a Santa Monica courtroom, the jury reached its verdict, setting the initial damages at $19.3 million. This financial penalty may increase further if the jury decides to implement additional punitive damages.
This ruling follows a 2022 decision in the same courthouse where another survivor, Judy Huth, was awarded $500,000 for a 1975 assault committed when she was a minor.
Once celebrated as a cultural icon for his role on The Cosby Show, the entertainer’s reputation has been dismantled by dozens of similar accusations spanning forty years.
Although he served time in a Pennsylvania prison starting in 2018 for a separate criminal conviction, he was released in 2021 after the judgment was vacated due to a legal technicality.
This latest civil victory for Motsinger adds to the extensive history of litigation faced by the former star, whom accusers have long described as a predatory figure who used sedatives to facilitate his crimes.
