Cosby Found Guilty in 1972 Sexual Assault Case

A US Jury Awards Damages to Woman Accusing Bill Cosby of Drugging and Assaulting Her in 1972

A jury in Santa Monica, California, has found comedian and actor Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman named Donna Motsinger in 1972. The jury awarded Motsinger $59.25 million in damages.

Motsinger alleged that Cosby had invited her to his stand-up comedy show at a theatre in San Carlos, where she was served wine and two pills that she believed were aspirin. She claimed that she was put into a limousine by two men and woke up in her house with no memory of the events. Motsinger’s lawsuit stated that she had been drugged and raped by Cosby.

Cosby denied all allegations, including those made by at least 60 other women who have accused him of similar misconduct. His lawyers argued that the allegations against Motsinger were based on speculation and assumption.

The trial included testimony from Andrea Constand, a Temple University sports administrator who was convicted of sexual assault by Cosby in a Pennsylvania court in 2018. The state’s Supreme Court had previously thrown out Cosby’s conviction, and he had been released from prison after serving nearly three years of his sentence.

Motsinger’s lawsuit is part of a larger number of allegations against Cosby, which have led to several settlements and court orders requiring him to pay damages. In the second phase of the trial, the jury awarded Motsinger an additional $40 million in punitive damages. Cosby’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, stated that they would appeal the verdict.

Motsinger expressed her hope that the verdict would provide strength to other survivors who have yet to come forward with their allegations.

Source: Al Jazeera