A California jury has ordered veteran entertainer Bill Cosby to pay $19.3 million in damages to a woman who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her more than five decades ago.
The plaintiff, Donna Motsinger, told the court in Santa Monica that she was working as a waitress when Cosby allegedly targeted her. She recounted being given a drink and what she believed was medication, after which she lost consciousness and later woke up at home partially undressed.
Her legal team argued that she had been drugged and assaulted, while Cosby’s attorneys maintained that he did not recall the incident and that any encounter, if it occurred, was consensual.
After three days of deliberation, the jury ruled in favour of Motsinger, awarding her $19.3 million, with the possibility of additional punitive damages.
The case adds to a series of legal battles involving Cosby, who was previously convicted in 2018 for a separate sexual assault case but was released in 2021 after the conviction was overturned on appeal.
Once celebrated for his role in The Cosby Show, Cosby has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct spanning several decades.
