Jury Awards $19.25 Million to Former Waitress in Bill Cosby Case
A California jury has ordered Bill Cosby to pay $19.25 million (£14.3 million) in damages to Donna Motsinger, a former waitress, after determining that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972. The incident reportedly occurred when Cosby took her to one of his shows over fifty years ago.
Motsinger testified that Cosby gave her wine and a pill that incapacitated her after picking her up at her home in a limousine in 1972.
Cosby, aged 88, has denied Motsinger's allegations as well as similar claims made by dozens of other women in various civil and criminal cases.
He was released from prison in Pennsylvania in 2021, nearly three years into a sentence for sexual assault, after his conviction was overturned on a legal technicality.
Jennifer Bonjean, Cosby's lawyer, told US media that her client intends to appeal the verdict announced on Monday.
The jury in the Santa Monica case may also decide on additional punitive damages, which have yet to be determined.
Details of the Alleged Assault
Donna Motsinger, now 84, formerly worked as a waitress at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, near San Francisco, a location frequented by celebrities including Cosby.
According to her lawsuit, Cosby invited her to one of his stand-up comedy performances. After picking her up to drive her to the event, he allegedly gave her a pill she believed to be aspirin, as stated in court documents.
"Next thing she knew, she was going in and out of consciousness," her legal action said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "The last thing Ms Motsinger recalls were flashes of light."
The court filing further stated that she awoke at home, naked except for her underwear, and "she knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby."
Legal Responses and Background
Cosby's legal team rejected the allegations, arguing in court filings that Motsinger "freely admits that she has no idea what happened," according to the Associated Press.
Neither Cosby's spokesperson nor his lawyer responded to the BBC's requests for comment.
Cosby gained significant fame in the 1980s and 1990s with his sitcom The Cosby Show, but his reputation was severely damaged after dozens of women accused him of rape, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct dating back to the 1960s. Cosby has consistently maintained that all encounters were consensual.
