Woman who sued Bill Cosby for sexual battery awarded $19.2 million

Woman who sued Bill Cosby for sexual battery awarded $19.2 million

A Southern California civil jury awarded $19.2 million to Donna Motsinger, a woman who claimed Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her over five decades ago, according to her attorney. The verdict came on Monday in a case filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica, where Motsinger accused Cosby of sexual battery after meeting a server in Northern California in 1972.

Cosby, 88, has consistently denied the allegations, stating he never altered his account of events. A former representative of Cosby expressed dismay over the decision, calling it a “dangerous precedent” that allows “decade-old accusations, lacking evidence or proof, to remain valid.” The case now includes pending punitive damages, though the core claim hinges on the 1972 incident.

Previously, Cosby faced a separate criminal conviction in Pennsylvania in 2018 for three counts of aggravated indecent assault. That ruling was overturned in 2021 when the state’s Supreme Court reversed the sentence, arguing he was not properly protected from self-incrimination. Despite this, Cosby maintained his innocence, insisting he “never changed my stance or my story” in that trial.

“This verdict sets a dangerous precedent to allow decade-old allegations, presented without evidence or proof, to stand,” said the former representative.

Tim Stelloh, a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital, reported the developments.