Overview
- The Santa Monica jury, which delivered its verdict Monday, found Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972 and awarded $19.25 million in compensatory damages.
- Coverage diverges on punitive damages, with some outlets reporting an added $40 million from a second phase Monday while others say the punitive award remains to be set.
- Cosby’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said he will appeal, he denied nonconsensual conduct, and he did not testify as witnesses including Andrea Constand described patterns of alleged abuse.
- Motsinger’s 2023 lawsuit was allowed under a California law that temporarily reopened older sexual assault claims that would have been time‑barred under prior rules.
- The verdict follows Cosby’s 2018 criminal conviction that was overturned in 2021 and a 2022 civil judgment for Judy Huth, with new questions about collection as reports detail his shrinking income and past loan defaults.