Woman awarded nearly US$60 million in decades-old Cosby assault case
Donna Motsinger was working as a waitress when Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her more than 50 years ago
A civil jury in California found Monday that Bill Cosby was liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her US$59.25 million.
After a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica, jurors found Cosby, 88, liable for the sexual battery and assault of Donna Motsinger. They awarded her US$17.5 million in past damages and US$1.75 million for future damages, including “mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress”.
Then in a second phase of the trial Monday afternoon, they awarded an additional US$40 million in punitive damages.
Cosby’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said in an email after the initial award earlier Monday that they are disappointed and fully intend to appeal the verdict. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the punitive damages.
Deliberations lasted about two days.
The decision came nearly five years after Cosby was freed from prison in Pennsylvania when the state Supreme Court threw out a criminal conviction based on similar allegations. He has settled some similar lawsuits and has been ordered to pay in others, but Monday’s award is likely the most he has had to pay in a case.