Bill Cosby, the 88-year-old disgraced actor/comedian and resident of Elkins Park (Cheltenham Township), has been ordered by a civil jury in California to pay $19.25 million in damages to Donna Motsinger, The New York Times reported today.
According to their coverage, Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted Ms. Motsinger, an 84-year-old former waitress, after escorting her to one of his comedy shows in 1972. Ms. Motsinger’s lawsuit claims that Cosby attacked her when they were both in their 30s after giving her wine and a pill that had left her incapacitated.
Motsinger filed her case against Cosby in 2023.
“Defendant Cosby used his enormous wealth, power, fame, and prestige, giving women like Ms. Motsinger access to a world of celebrities and entertainers,” the complaint stated.
“Mr. Cosby denied the allegations, as he has all accusations brought by the women who have said he was a sexual predator,” The Times wrote. “Cosby’s only criminal conviction for sexual assault was overturned for procedural reasons in 2021 after he had served three years of a three- to 10-year sentence at a maximum-security prison outside Philadelphia.”
A lawyer for Cosby stated that he plans to appeal Monday’s verdict. During a deposition in the Motsinger case last fall, Cosby described his gradual financial downturn.
“Due to allegations, whether they be newspaper, radio, television, magazines or just plain internet, I have not worked in about 10 years, or more,” Cosby said in the deposition. “That means I have not earned a cent through my being an entertainer, a writer, a television performer, except in reruns, and my net worth has gone down like a submarine with no motor.”
In late 2024, Cosby defaulted on his mortgage for his 5,000-square-foot Manhattan townhouse. He listed the address for sale in 2025 for $29 million.
In February, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Cosby had a “neighborly relationship” with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A 2022 documentary titled “Bill Cosby: Walking Free” depicting the former comedian’s legal battles can be found here.
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Screengrab: TubiTV.com