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SANTA MONICA, CA — A California civil jury on Tuesday found 88-year-old Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a former waitress more than five decades ago, awarding a staggering $59.25 million in damages in a verdict that marks one of the largest civil judgments ever handed down in a sexual assault case.

The Santa Monica jury determined that Cosby drugged and assaulted Donna Motsinger after inviting her to one of his comedy shows at a Sausalito restaurant in 1972. Jurors awarded $19.25 million in compensatory damages and an additional $40 million in punitive damages.

A Case Decades in the Making

Motsinger, who was working as a waitress at the time of the alleged assault, testified that Cosby offered her wine and two pills she believed were aspirin. She told the court she lost consciousness shortly after and woke up in a disoriented state with clear signs she had been assaulted.

The case was filed in 2023 under California’s extended statute of limitations for sexual assault, which gave survivors of sexual violence a window to pursue civil claims regardless of when the alleged abuse occurred. Legal experts say the law has opened the door for dozens of previously time-barred cases to finally be heard in court.

Cosby’s Legal Team Vows Appeal

Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, representing Cosby, told reporters outside the courthouse that the defense team was “disappointed” by the verdict and fully intends to appeal. Bonjean has argued throughout the trial that the evidence was insufficient to support the claims, given the passage of more than 50 years since the alleged incident.

Cosby, who did not attend the trial in person, has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. His legal team has characterized the case as part of a broader pattern of unsubstantiated claims against the former entertainer.

The Shadow of a Prior Criminal Case

The civil verdict comes years after Cosby’s 2018 criminal conviction for aggravated indecent assault in Pennsylvania was overturned by the state Supreme Court in 2021 on procedural grounds. That ruling — which freed Cosby from prison after serving nearly three years of a three-to-ten-year sentence — was widely seen as a technicality rather than an exoneration.

Prosecutors had used Cosby’s own deposition testimony from a prior civil case to secure the conviction, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that a previous district attorney had promised Cosby immunity from prosecution in exchange for that testimony.

A Landmark Moment for Accountability

Victim advocacy groups hailed Tuesday’s verdict as a watershed moment for survivors of sexual violence. The $59.25 million award sends a powerful message that accountability can be pursued even decades after abuse occurs, they said.