Donna Motsinger claimed Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972 after meeting in a restaurant.

Bill Cosby ordered to pay $19 million to woman who says he sexually assaulted her

Donna Motsinger claimed Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972 after meeting in a restaurant.

By Sharareh Drury

March 23, 2026 5:26 p.m. ET

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Bill Cosby. Credit:

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty

Bill Cosby's legal troubles continue.

A California jury awarded Donna Motsinger, 84, a $19 million judgment against the 88-year-old actor in a civil lawsuit on Monday, per the *New York Times*.

In the lawsuit, Motsinger claimed Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972 after meeting in a restaurant. Jurors found Cosby liable for sexual assault of an intoxicated woman as well as sexual battery. They also determined Cosby acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud," in which case punitive damages could be awarded to Motsinger in a second phase of the trial. Motsinger was awarded $17.5 million for past mental suffering and $1.75 million for future suffering.

EW has reached out to Cosby and Motsinger's legal representation for comment.**

Bill Cosby in 2018.

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty

In her complaint, Motsinger claimed she met Cosby at a restaurant in Sausalito, Calif., called The Trident. As she was returning to her home, Cosby followed her, pulled up next to her and asked if she would attend a comedy show he was performing later that evening at a nearby theater. Motsinger agreed and was later picked up from her home in a limousine by Cosby, who served her a drink as the two headed to the theater for his 1972 stand-up performance *Inside the Mind of Bill* *Cosby.*

"At the Circle Star Theater, Mr. Cosby took Ms. Motsinger to the dressing room there and gave her a glass of wine. She began to feel sick and Mr. Cosby gave her what she believed was an aspirin. Next thing she knew, she was going in and out of consciousness while two men attending to Mr. Cosby were putting her in the limousine with Mr. Cosby," the complaint read.

"In the limousine, Mr. Cosby sat near the window and put his arms around her. The last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light. She woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on — no top, no bra, and no pants. She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby."

Ahead of the trial, Motsinger's attorney Jesse Creed said in a statement, "We applaud Ms. Motsinger for her courage to come forward and demand justice against Mr. Cosby and those who enabled him to commit these alleged heinous acts against her."

Creed added, "As alleged in the complaint, these iconic companies and organizations not only provided a platform for Mr. Cosby to showcase his fame and fortune to lure in women, but then put their own profits over the safety of their female guests by turning a blind eye to Mr. Cosby’s alleged sexual assaults on women."

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Cosby has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, with the actor consistently maintaining that any encounters were consensual.**

In 2015, after more than 60 women came forward with sexual assault and misconduct allegations against the actor, Cosby was charged with assaulting Andrea Constand, a former director of operations for Temple University's women's basketball team.

He was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, but released in 2021 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction on due process grounds.**

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