Bill Cosby accuser awarded $59 million for 1972 drugging, rape

A Los Angeles County jury has sided in favor of Bill Cosby's accuser in a civil case over an alleged 1972 sexual assault.

Donna Motsinger, one of dozens of people who have alleged they were victims of the 88-year-old "Cosby Show" star, on March 23 was awarded $19.25 million in damages, more than 50 years after Cosby allegedly drugged and raped her. Hours later, the jury determined Cosby owed Motsinger $40 million in punitive damages, for a total of $59.25 million.

The jury found that Cosby acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud," according to Rolling Stone.

The $19.25 million includes $17.5 million in past non-economic damages and $1.75 million in future non-economic damages, Motsinger's legal team confirmed to USA TODAY.

Cosby's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has vowed to appeal.

Bill Cosby's team will appeal jury's decision

In a statement issued March 24, the Bonjean Law Group said, "Mr. Cosby was denied a fair trial. No one can meaningfully defend against allegations that are a half-century old. This case exemplifies how the retroactive abolition of statutes of limitations cannot be reconciled with due process.

"The jury was bombarded with uncharged, unproven accusations, turning the proceedings into a trial of Mr. Cosby’s character rather than an evaluation of the plaintiff’s claims," the statement continued. "The excessive damages award bore no relation to the evidence and was clearly intended to make Mr. Cosby a symbol. This represents a profound failure of the legal system and sets a dangerous precedent. An appeal is forthcoming."

Motsinger, in her September 2023 civil lawsuit, said Cosby drugged and raped her after inviting her to one of his comedy shows in the Bay Area. She was working as a server at a Sausalito, California, restaurant at the time.

Cosby did not testify during the two-week trial.

Cosby, the first Hollywood figure to be convicted following the #MeToo movement, has denied all allegations involving sex crimes. After serving almost three years at a state prison outside of Philadelphia for allegedly drugging and molesting a Temple University employee in 2004, his conviction was thrown out by the state's highest court, and he was released in 2021.

In 2022, a Los Angeles jury awarded $500,000 to Judy Huth, who'd alleged that Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was 16.

(This story was updated to include new information.)

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and Spanish via chat and at 800-656-4673.