Jury orders Bill Cosby to pay $19.25m to ex-waitress after finding he abused her in 1972
bill cosby was ordered by a Santa Monica jury to pay $19. 25m after jurors found he drugged and sexually assaulted Donna Motsinger more than five decades ago; the verdict was handed down on Monday (ET). The jury found the 1972 encounter left Motsinger incapacitated after she accepted wine and a pill and later woke up at home with only her underwear on, the court filing states. The jury may add punitive damages that have not yet been determined.
Verdict and damages
A jury in Santa Monica, California awarded Donna Motsinger $19. 25m in damages after concluding she was drugged and sexually assaulted while being driven to a recording of a stand-up show in 1972. The award totals $19. 25m, with the jury set to consider additional punitive damages following the initial finding. Motsinger, who is now in her 80s and formerly worked as a waitress at the Trident in Sausalito, alleged the defendant gave her wine and a round white pill she believed was aspirin; she said she next recalled flashes of light and later woke up at home nearly naked and aware she had been drugged and raped.
The complaint states the events took place after Cosby invited Motsinger to a live recording of his stand-up act and that she was picked up at her home in a limousine. The jury found civil liability for sexual assault and sexual battery stemming from that 1972 encounter. Jurors could still award punitive damages in addition to the $19. 25m already assessed.
Bill Cosby: immediate reactions
Donna Motsinger’s court filing states, “Next thing she knew, she was going in and out of consciousness” and “she woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on – no top, no bra, and no pants. ” Spencer Lucas, attorney for Donna Motsinger, said: “To fulfil his sexual deviancy, he surreptitiously drugged women with sedatives, often combined with alcohol, with the intent of rendering them unconscious so he could have his way with them. “
Bill Cosby’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean, Bill Cosby’s attorney, said her client will appeal the verdict. The filing and trial included testimony and a videotaped deposition in which the defendant discussed obtaining prescriptions for sedatives; in that deposition the defendant responded “yes” when asked whether a prescription was written “at the poker table. ” The defendant has denied Motsinger’s allegations and has denied similar claims in other civil and criminal cases.
Quick context and next steps
The case revisits allegations dating to 1972 and follows a history of legal fights over claims by dozens of women spanning decades. The defendant was released from prison in 2021 after a prior conviction was vacated on a technicality; he has maintained all encounters were consensual.
Legal teams will now prepare for the next phase: the jury will consider punitive damages, and the defendant’s appeal is expected to be filed by his legal team. Observers should expect filings and court scheduling in Santa Monica to determine the final financial total, and an appeal process that could extend the dispute beyond the immediate verdict. The outcome of punitive damages and any appellate rulings will shape whether bill cosby faces additional civil penalties or sees this judgment altered on appeal.
