Bill Cosby Found Liable for 1972 Assault, Jury Awards Millions

A jury in California has awarded Donna Motsinger several million dollars after determining that Bill Cosby was responsible for sexually assaulting her back in 1972.

Now 84, Motsinger was in her thirties and working as a restaurant server in Sausalito at the time of the incident. The jury concluded that the 88-year-old comedian drugged and assaulted her. Initially, they granted Motsinger $19.25 million in damages: $17.5 million for past suffering and $1.75 million for future emotional distress.

Later, after further deliberations to assess whether Cosby acted with “malice,” the jury awarded an additional $40 million in punitive damages, raising the total to $59.25 million.

In the lawsuit, filed in 2023 with the assistance of her legal team, Motsinger claimed that Cosby drugged and raped her. She reported that Cosby visited the restaurant where she worked for a week and eventually followed her home after one of his visits. There, he persuaded her to come to one of his shows.

After picking her up in a limousine and giving her a glass of wine, Motsinger began to feel unwell. Cosby gave her what looked like aspirin, and she soon lost consciousness, waking up later in her underwear at home, unsure of how she got there.

“He knew that she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby,” Motsinger’s complaint states.

Cosby has been confronted with multiple sexual assault allegations over the years, having served three years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2021 due to procedural issues. In a separate civil trial, he was found liable for abusing Judy Hughes, who was just 16 at the time in 1975.

California has revised its statute of limitations for sexual assault lawsuits, allowing more time for victims to come forward—this change was crucial for Motsinger’s case.

“It has taken 54 years to get justice, and I know it isn’t complete for the remaining women, but I hope this helps them in some small way,” she expressed in court.

Cosby did not take the stand during the trial, and his attorney indicated plans to appeal. He has consistently denied the allegations, claiming all interactions were consensual. According to his deposition, he remembered being in the limousine with Motsinger but couldn’t recall whether they had sexual relations.