Jury finds Bill Cosby sexually assaulted woman in 1972, victim awarded $19M

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FILE - Bill Cosby speaks to reporters outside of his home on June 30, 2021 in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Bill Cosby was released from prison after court overturns his sex assault conviction. (Photo by Michael Abbott/Getty Images)

A civil jury on Monday found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her $19.25 million. 

Cosby’s attorney told The Associated Press that they were disappointed with the decision and fully intend to appeal. 

Donna Motsinger given wine and pills she thought was aspirin

The backstory:

Donna Motsinger was a server in Sausalito, California, which is just north of San Francisco, when she was assaulted by Cosby. 

Motsinger was invited by Cosby to attend his stand-up comedy show on the night of the assault. 

She recalled Cosby giving her wine and two pills she believed to be aspirin. Motsinger said she was going in and out of consciousness as two men put her inside a limousine. 

Motsinger later woke up in her house almost completely naked except for her underwear.

What they're saying:

"She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby," the lawsuit said. 

The other side:

Cosby’s lawyers argued that the allegations were based entirely on speculation, adding that Motsinger "freely admits that she has no idea what happened." 

Donna Motsinger could still be awarded more money 

Jurors awarded Motsinger $17.5 million in past damages and $1.75 million for future damages, which includes "mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress." 

What's next:

Motsinger could be awarded even more for punitive damages. The trial for that starts later on Monday. 

Bill Cosby’s ongoing legal troubles

Cosby, once widely known as "America’s Dad," became the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era before his conviction was permanently thrown out due to a technicality. 

An appeals court found Cosby gave incriminating testimony in a deposition only after believing he had immunity from prosecution.

Dig deeper:

Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a Temple University sports administrator, in a Pennsylvania criminal court in 2018.

However, the state's Supreme Court threw out the verdict and Cosby was freed from prison after serving nearly three years of a three- to 10-year sentence.

Motsinger first made her allegations anonymously in a 2005 lawsuit filed by Constand.

In 2022, a jury in Santa Monica awarded $500,000 to a woman who said Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion when she was a teenager in 1975.

Motsinger's lawsuit echoed allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment made by at least 60 women against Cosby, all of which he has denied.