Donna Motsinger, now 84, alleged in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County that Bill Cosby gave her wine and a pill in 1972 that left her physically incapacitated.
On Monday, a California civil jury sided with Motsinger, awarding her $19.25 million in damages after concluding that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her following an evening he invited her to attend one of his shows, according to Apple News.
The verdict marks another development in a long series of legal battles involving the now-88-year-old entertainer. Over the past decade, Cosby has faced numerous allegations from women who accused him of drugging and assaulting them.
He previously served nearly three years in a Pennsylvania prison on sexual assault charges before that conviction was overturned in 2021. In her complaint, Motsinger said she later woke up in her home wearing only her underwear, stating she believed she had been drugged and assaulted.
Cosby has denied her claims, as well as similar accusations from other women, with his legal team arguing he has been unfairly targeted.
According to the lawsuit filed in September 2023, Motsinger was working at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California—a celebrity-frequented spot—when she met Cosby.
She claimed he invited her to his performance at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos and picked her up in a limousine. During the ride, she said he gave her wine and a pill she believed to be aspirin.
The complaint alleges she soon began drifting in and out of consciousness, recalling only brief flashes of light as two men assisting Cosby placed her back into the limousine. She later woke up at home with no memory of how she got there.
