Bill Cosby has been denied a new trial in a sexual assault civil case and remains responsible for paying a $60 million judgment awarded to plaintiff Donna Motsinger.
The Saga Continues
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected Cosby’s request to overturn the jury verdict, ruling that there was no legal basis to grant a new trial. According to USA Today, Judge Bradley S. Phillips found that Cosby failed to present sufficient grounds to challenge the outcome of the case.
The ruling leaves intact a jury’s decision finding Cosby liable in the lawsuit brought by Motsinger, as well as the $60 million damages award. Cosby’s legal team has argued that he does not have the financial resources to satisfy the judgment.
The decision marks another legal setback for the comedian as he continues to challenge claims brought against him in civil court.
Phillips wrote “has not shown that there was any irregularity in the proceedings or any order or abuse of discretion by the Court that prevented [Cosby] from having a fair trial; that either the compensatory or punitive damages are excessive; that the evidence was insufficient to justify the verdict or that the verdict is against law; or that there was any error in law” he said.
Phillips also stated, “The Court finds that there was sufficient evidence … to support the jury’s finding that defendant’s conduct caused plaintiff’s damages,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Motsinger sued Cosby in 2023 claiming he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972 after inviting her to one of his comedy shows in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She met Cosby while working as a server at a restaurant in Sausalito California.
Motsinger alleged Cosby picked her up at her home and offered her wine and a pill she believed was aspirin while taking her to the venue.
“Next thing she knew she was going in and out of consciousness while two men attending to Mr. Cosby were putting her in the limousine” the complaint stated, according to USA Today.
The complaint further stated “The last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light” before she awoke at home wearing only underwear, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In March 2026 a Southern California civil jury found Cosby liable for sexual battery and sexual assault of an intoxicated person.
The jury determined Cosby acted with “malice oppression or fraud,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
The jury awarded Motsinger $17.5 million in past non-economic damages $1.75 million in future non-economic damages and $40 million in punitive damages for a total award of $59.25 million, according to USA Today reported.
Cosby filed a motion in April seeking a new trial.
As Finurah previously reported, Cosby has expressed that he doesn’t have the money to pay the plaintiff, even with a net worth of $128 million.
His attorneys argued that the punitive damages award was excessive and that the overall judgment was disproportionate, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Cosby’s lawyers argued the “gigantic awards” are “presumptively excessive.”
They also argued the damages “does not advance the purpose of deterring future conduct” because Cosby “needs no deterrence at this stage in his life” his attorneys said.
His attorneys described him as “He is an 88 year old man with no sight who lives an isolated life,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
The defense further argued that the allegations against Cosby were decades old and that “last known sexual misconduct occurred 20 years ago,” according to USA Today.
Cosby’s attorneys argued that the verdict was influenced by emotion rather than evidence according to the motion.
They wrote, “It is clear that this jury acted out of passion and prejudice punishing the Defendant to take a stand against all would-be abusers in positions of power and celebrity,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
The motion further stated, “[Motsinger’s] argument centered on telling the jury to send a message to the world with its verdict. The jury did just that. But its award far exceeded the purpose and function of punitive damages.”
Judge Phillips rejected those arguments and found there was sufficient evidence supporting the jury’s verdict, according to USA Today.
He concluded that neither the compensatory damages nor the punitive damages were excessive and that Cosby had received a fair trial.
Cosby has denied Motsinger’s allegations and has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.
More than 60 women have publicly accused Cosby of sexual misconduct.
In 2018 Cosby was convicted in Pennsylvania of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand.
He served nearly three years in prison before the conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021, USA Today reported.
In 2022, Judy Huth was awarded $500,000 by a Los Angeles jury after alleging Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old.
