Bill Cosby found liable in civil case over 1972 assault, jury awards $19 million to victim

A California civil jury has found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972, ordering the comedian to pay more than 19 million dollars in damages.

The case was brought by former waitress Donna Motsinger, who told the court that Cosby picked her up in a limousine after her shift, gave her wine and later handed her a pill she believed to be aspirin.

According to court filings, Motsinger said she became unwell and later lost consciousness. She testified that she remembered being assisted into a limousine and later waking up in bed, where she realised she had been sexually assaulted.

The jury awarded 19.25 million dollars in damages, adding to a series of civil cases against Cosby following his release from prison.

Cosby previously served nearly three years after being convicted of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand.

That conviction was overturned in 2021 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

He has also faced other lawsuits, including a 2022 case in which a jury found he sexually assaulted a teenager in 1975. Cosby has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.