Callum Jones
Bill Cosby has been ordered to pay over $19 million after a court found him liable for the sexual assault and sexual battery of a woman in 1972.
Donna Motsinger filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles County Superior Court that claimed Cosby had given her wine and a pill that ultimately left her unconscious.
The complaint went on to claim the Cosby lured and groomed the now 84-year-old after meeting her at a restaurant in Sausalito, California, before inviting her to one of his shows in San Carlos.
"Defendant Cosby used his enormous wealth, power, fame, and prestige, giving women like Ms Motsinger access to a world of celebrities and entertainers," the complaint added.
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Motsinger alleged Cosby provided the wine during that hour-long trip between the restaurant and the comedian's show. She began to feel unwell soon after, with Cosby providing her with what she thought was aspirin at the time, the complaint added.
The lawsuit alleged that Motsinger began falling in and out of consciousness before waking up in her home wearing just her underwear.
Mostinger had determined she'd been raped after coming around the next morning, according to the complaint.
After three days of deliberations, a Californian jury ruled in favor of Motsinger and ordered Cosby to pay her $19.25 million.
Cosby has denied the allegations and did not testify in the trial.
According to The New York Times, Motsinger said outside court following the verdict: "It has been 54 years to get justice, and I know it’s not complete for the rest of the women, but I hope it helps them a little bit."
Meanwhile, Jennifer Bonjean, Cosby’s attorney said the decision will be appealed.
"I was obviously disappointed in the decision, but we believe we have a strong appeal and we’ll pursue that," she said, as per the New York Times.
Cosby has largely stayed out of the public eye ever since he was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand.
He was sentenced to three to ten years for the crime, though that conviction was overturned in 2021.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court found an agreement with prosecutors had been violated, which lead to Cosby being released around three years into his sentence.
Previously, Cosby has been found liable for sexually assaulting Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16.
The jury awarded Huth $500,000 in compensatory damages in 2022, a year after Cosby's release from prison.