Veteran US entertainer Bill Cosby has been ordered to pay $19.3 million to Donna Motsinger, who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her over 50 years ago. The civil verdict was delivered on Monday in Santa Monica, California.
Motsinger, who was working as a waitress at the time, said Cosby targeted her while she was performing her duties. She testified that on one occasion, he picked her up in his limousine, gave her a glass of wine and what she believed was an aspirin. She subsequently lost consciousness and later awoke at home wearing only her underwear.
“She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby,” court documents indicated. Cosby, 88, maintained he did not recall any sexual contact with Motsinger and claimed that any encounter that may have occurred was consensual.
The jury deliberated for three days before issuing the judgment of $19.3 million, a figure that could increase if punitive damages are added.
This case follows a previous civil ruling in 2022 at the same courthouse, where Cosby was ordered to pay $500,000 to Judy Huth, who alleged he molested her in 1975 when she was 16 years old.
Cosby, once celebrated as “America’s Dad” for his starring role in the iconic television series “The Cosby Show” (1984–1992), has faced decades of sexual misconduct allegations. Numerous women have accused him of using drugs to incapacitate them before assaults.
He was previously convicted in Pennsylvania in 2018 for sexual assault but was released in 2021 after the conviction was overturned on a technicality. The latest civil judgment underscores the continuing legal consequences for his alleged misconduct and highlights ongoing efforts to hold him accountable.