Bill Cosby Ordered to Pay Ex-Waitress $19M in Sexual Battery Lawsuit — After She Accused Disgraced Comic of Drugging and Raping Her in 1972
Bill Cosby was ordered to pay $19.25million in damages.
March 23 2026, Published 4:32 p.m. ET
Bill Cosby lost his latest civil suit and has been ordered to shell out millions, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Monday, March 23, a jury determined the former sitcom star, 88, was liable for the sexual assault and sexual battery of Donna Motsinger after she accused him of raping and drugging her back in 1972.
Bill Cosby Ordered to Pay $19.2million in Damages
Bill Cosby and Donna Motsinger reportedly met in the early 1970s.
He's been ordered to pay the 84-year-old $17.5million in damages for her past trauma she experienced, as well as $1.75million for future mental suffering, according to Deadline.
According to the 2023 lawsuit, Motsinger and Cosby became friendly in the early 1970s when he invited her to go with him to a show. However, she said she "began to feel sick" after the actor gave her a glass of wine and "what she believed was an aspirin."
She claimed her memory after that was spotty and she allegedly floated in and out of consciousness.
Bill Cosby said he could not remember if they had intercourse.
"The last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light," the court documents read. "She woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on – no top, no bra, and no pants."
Motsinger further alleged that was when she "knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby."
During his deposition, when directly asked if he'd had intercourse with Motsinger, Cosby replied, "I cannot remember if I did or not."
The trial began earlier this month and lasted approximately two weeks.
Bill Cosby's Lawyer Vows to Appeal as Donna Motsinger Celebrates
Bill Cosby has been accused of various acts of sexual misconduct by many women.
Following the announcement, Cosby's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said they were "disappointed" but would be "appealing" the verdict.
As for Motsinger, she celebrated the legal win and declared the financial compensation was the "icing on the cake."
"It has been 54 years to get justice. I know it's not complete for the rest of the women, but I hope it helps them a little bit," she said, according to the New York Times, seemingly referring to other women who have accused the 88-year-old of various acts of sexual misconduct and assault over the past five decades.
Past Allegations of Sexual Misconduct
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Bill Cosby's 2018 conviction was overturned in 2021.
This is far from the first time Cosby has been accused of similar crimes. It's been reported that at least 60 different women have insisted that Cosby was guilty of various acts of sexual harassment, rape or sexual assault.
Back in June 2022, Judy Huth was awarded $500,00 in damages after accusing him of molesting her at the Playboy mansion in 1975 when she was around 16 years old.
He was also infamously convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2018 in connection with allegations surrounding a 2004 incident. He was subsequently sentenced to serve three to 10 years behind bars, but the verdict was overturned in 2021 for due process violations as prosecutors allegedly went back on a prior agreement not to charge him with a crime if he testified.
Cosby has denied all allegations over the years.
