Bill Cosby Ordered To Pay Waitress $19 Million Over 1972 Assault

March 23, 2026

Bill Cosby loses a $19.25 million civil verdict after a jury finds him liable for drugging and assaulting a waitress in 1972.

Bill Cosby just got hit with a $19.25 million judgment in a civil case that’s been decades in the making, and the verdict landed hard on Monday in Santa Monica.

Donna Motsinger, who was working as a waitress back in 1972 at the Trident in Sausalito, alleged that Cosby drugged and raped her after picking her up in a limousine and bringing her to one of his comedy shows in San Carlos, California.

The jury took three days to reach their decision, finding him liable for sexual assault and sexual battery after hearing testimony about what she claims happened that night.

According to the Variety report, Motsinger said she began feeling sick when she got to Cosby’s dressing room after accepting a glass of wine in the limo, and she went in and out of consciousness before waking up at home with most of her clothes removed.

The breakdown of the damages shows $17.5 million for past mental suffering and $1.75 million for future suffering, with the jury also determining that punitive damages should be added in a separate proceeding.

Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, immediately announced they’d be appealing the verdict, but the damage is already done in terms of his public standing and financial obligations.

This case represents another major loss for the 88-year-old entertainer, who’s already facing serious financial strain.

He previously had to pay $500,000 to Judy Huth after she won her own civil case alleging he assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was just 16 years old.

Cosby’s criminal conviction from 2018 in Pennsylvania was thrown out in 2021 after an appeals court found that prosecutors violated an earlier agreement not to bring charges, which meant he walked free after serving three years.

Motsinger was able to file her lawsuit in 2023 because California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for certain sex assault claims, giving victims like her a second chance at justice.

The jury’s decision sends a clear message that even decades-old allegations can lead to accountability when the evidence is compelling.

According to the New York Times, Cosby has acknowledged facing serious financial difficulties, which makes this nearly $20 million judgment particularly consequential for his future.

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