Bill Cosby civil sexual assault trial verdict and damages award in California 2024
Consensus Summary
A California civil jury found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972, awarding her $19.25 million in damages. The verdict follows a two-week trial where Motsinger alleged Cosby lured her to a comedy show, drugged her with wine and pills, and left her naked in her home. Both sources confirm the case hinged on California’s amended statutes of limitations and Cosby’s history of similar allegations, including a 2022 $500,000 civil verdict for a Playboy Mansion assault. While both articles agree on core facts like the $19.25m award and Cosby’s appeal plans, discrepancies exist in deliberation duration (one day vs. three days) and timing of punitive damages. Cosby’s legal team dismissed the claims as speculative, and his 2018 criminal conviction was overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct. The case underscores the ongoing fallout from decades of allegations against Cosby, who remains defiant despite multiple legal setbacks.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A California civil jury found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972
- Jurors awarded Donna Motsinger $19.25 million in damages ($17.5 million past damages, $1.75 million future damages)
- The verdict occurred in Santa Monica, California, after a nearly two-week trial
- Donna Motsinger was a server in Sausalito, California, in 1972 when Cosby allegedly drugged her with wine and pills
- Cosby did not testify in the trial; his attorney Jennifer Bonjean stated they would appeal the verdict
- Cosby was previously convicted of sexual assault in Pennsylvania in 2018 but was freed in 2021 after his conviction was overturned
- Motsinger’s lawsuit was filed in 2023 after California amended its statutes of limitations for sexual assault cases
- A 2022 civil trial in Santa Monica awarded $500,000 to a woman who alleged Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975
- Motsinger alleged she woke up in her home with only underwear on after the incident
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Jurors may award additional punitive damages in a separate phase of the trial starting later that week
- Cosby’s 2022 conviction was permanently thrown out due to his deposition testimony being given under false belief of immunity
- Motsinger’s lawsuit referenced 'mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress' in damages
- Cosby’s lawyers argued the allegations were 'almost entirely on speculation and assumption' and Motsinger admitted 'no idea what happened'
- Andrea Constand testified as a witness in the trial (she was previously convicted of sexual assault against Cosby in 2018)
- The verdict came nearly five years after Cosby’s prison release in Pennsylvania
- Motsinger first made allegations anonymously in a 2005 lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand
- Cosby was once called 'America’s Dad' and was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era
- Motsinger described the trial as a 'five-decade-long effort to get justice'
- The complaint stated Cosby 'used his enormous wealth, power, fame, and prestige' to groom women
- The jury ruled in favor of Motsinger after three days of deliberations
- Punitive damages were set to be determined later on the same day as the verdict
- Cosby maintains allegations are 'consensual' and has denied all claims
- Motsinger was 84 years old at the time of the trial
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states the jury deliberated for 'just over a day,' while the Guardian says deliberations took 'three days'
- ABC reports the punitive damages phase starts 'later this week,' but the Guardian says it was 'later on Monday'
- ABC mentions the punitive damages phase starts 'later this week' without specifying the day, while the Guardian clarifies it was 'later on Monday'
- ABC states the lawsuit was filed in 2023 but does not specify the exact month, while the Guardian does not mention the filing month
- ABC reports the jury awarded $19.25 million ($17.5m past + $1.75m future) with an additional punitive phase, while the Guardian only states $19.25m and punitive damages were 'set to be determined later'
Source Articles
Bill Cosby ordered to pay $US19m for historical sexual assault
A civil jury in California awards a woman $US19.25 million after finding Bill Cosby liable for sexually assaulting her....
Bill Cosby found guilty of sexual assault and ordered to pay $19.25m
Donna Motsinger alleges she was drugged and raped by Cosby in 1972 after he gave her a glass of wine in his limo Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A Califor...