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A California jury has ordered Bill Cosby to pay nearly $20 million to a woman who accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her more than 50 years ago.
The verdict, delivered in Santa Monica, California, found Cosby liable for sexual assault and sexual battery against Donna Motsinger, who said the incident occurred in 1972, according to Rolling Stone.
Jurors awarded Motsinger $17.5 million for past suffering and $1.75 million for future suffering. They also found that Cosby acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud,” a legal determination that could lead to additional punitive damages in a later phase of the case.
Motsinger, now in her 80s, testified that she met Cosby while working at a restaurant in Northern California. She said he later invited her to a performance taping, where she alleges he gave her wine and pills that left her disoriented and drifting in and out of consciousness.
According to court filings cited by Rolling Stone, Motsinger said she later woke up at home partially undressed and believed she had been drugged and sexually assaulted.
During the trial, jurors also heard testimony from other women who have accused Cosby of similar behavior over the years, including Andrea Constand, whose case led to Cosby’s 2018 criminal conviction, and former model Victoria Valentino.
Cosby, 88, has consistently denied allegations of sexual misconduct and maintains that any encounters were consensual. His legal team has said they plan to appeal the verdict.
The case is the latest in a series of civil lawsuits brought against Cosby, even after his 2018 conviction in Pennsylvania was overturned in 2021. That conviction stemmed from Constand’s accusations and resulted in a prison sentence before it was vacated by the state’s Supreme Court over a prior non-prosecution agreement.
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