Actor Bill Cosby, 88, has been ordered to pay almost $60 million in damages to a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1972, a Southern California jury ruled on Monday.
The civil case was brought by Donna Motsinger in 2023 under a California law allowing certain decades-old sexual abuse claims to proceed. The former waitress alleged that Cosby followed her home from work, invited her into his limousine, and gave her a pill he identified as aspirin. She said she began to lose consciousness after taking the pill and awoke nearly naked at her home, according to NBC News.
“She woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on — no top, no bra, and no pants. She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby,” the lawsuit alleged.
“This verdict is not just about me — it’s about finally being heard and holding Mr. Cosby accountable,” Motsinger said in a statement via her lawyers. “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.”
Cosby has denied the allegations and plans to appeal the verdict, his attorneys said.
The case is one of several civil lawsuits filed against the formerly beloved star of “The Cosby Show” in recent years. Dozens of women have accused Cosby of harassment, rape, and sexual misconduct, though many claims were previously barred by statutes of limitations.
Cosby was convicted in 2018 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand. However, his conviction was overturned in 2021 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, leading to his release after nearly three years in prison.
In 2022, a Los Angeles jury found Cosby liable for sexually assaulting Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in the 1970s and awarded her $500,000 in damages. Additional lawsuits in Nevada remain pending.
Cosby has consistently denied all allegations against him.
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