How much did Bill Cosby have to pay in the Donna Motsinger trial?

The jury ordered Cosby to pay $59.25 million total — $19.25 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages.

Who is Donna Motsinger?

Donna Motsinger is an 84-year-old woman who alleges Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972 in Sausalito, California, when she worked as a server at a restaurant Cosby frequented.

How can the lawsuit be filed 54 years after the alleged assault?

California amended its statute of limitations on sexual assault cases, opening a civil revival window that allows survivors to sue regardless of when the assault occurred. Motsinger filed her suit under this expanded law.

Will Bill Cosby actually pay the $59.25 million?

Cosby's attorney has announced plans to appeal. Additionally, Cosby has described his finances as severely depleted due to years of legal costs and lost income, which could complicate enforcement of the judgment even if it survives appeal.

What happened to Bill Cosby's criminal conviction?

Cosby was criminally convicted in Pennsylvania in 2018 but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2021 on due process grounds. That ruling freed him from prison but did not prevent subsequent civil lawsuits.

Bill Cosby Hit With $59.25 Million Verdict in…

A Santa Monica jury ordered Bill Cosby to pay $59.25 million to Donna Motsinger, 84, for a 1972 assault — his largest civil judgment. Attorney Bonjean vowed to appeal.

A Santa Monica, California jury delivered its verdict on March 24, 2026: Bill Cosby, 88, must pay $59.25 million to Donna Motsinger for a sexual assault she says occurred in 1972. The figure is the largest civil judgment Cosby has faced and comes more than five decades after the alleged incident — a gap that was only bridgeable because California amended its statute of limitations on sexual assault claims.

The jury first awarded Motsinger, now 84, $19.25 million in compensatory damages — $17.5 million for past pain and suffering and $1.75 million for future suffering. It then deliberated on whether Cosby had acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud," found that he had, and added $40 million in punitive damages. Motsinger's legal team had argued that a substantial punitive award was necessary to send a message given Cosby's decades of alleged predatory behavior; more than 60 women have accused him of sexual misconduct over the course of his career.

Motsinger alleges that Cosby groomed her over repeated visits to a restaurant in Sausalito, California, where she worked as a server. She says he drugged her drink and raped her during an after-hours visit. Cosby has denied all allegations; his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told reporters after the verdict that the result was "disappointing" but that the legal team had "a strong appeal" prepared.