A U.S. court has found former actor Bill Cosby guilty of a 1972rape in a civil case, ordering him to pay the victim-survivor $US59 million ($AU85 million).
The case came after California introduced a two-year window allowing people to report historical sexual assault cases that otherwise fell outside the statute of limitations.
Cosby has been accused of rape multiple times across his career, serving three years in prison in 2018 before his conviction was overturned on a technicality.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Cosby is best known for starring in The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992.
He first settled a civil sexual assault and drugging case in 2006.
In 2014, a joke by comedian Hannibal Buress about the allegations against Cosby went viral, shedding new light on his behaviour.
As part of the new discussion about Cosby, the Associated Press published evidence he gave during the 2005-06 civil proceedings.
Based on this resurfaced evidence, authorities in the state of Pennsylvania commenced a new criminal case led by the complainant from the 2000s.
Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault at trial and sentenced to prison time.
However, in 2021, his sentence was overturned after the court found Cosby had made a deal with a prosecutor in an earlier case that effectively granted him immunity for a future criminal case.
Statute changes
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Over the years, nearly 60 women have made allegations against Cosby. Most of the accusations exceed the statute of limitations – a deadline for taking legal action.
It means victims only have a certain amount of time to report a crime or file a lawsuit against a perpetrator, even if an offence was committed.
In late 2025, California introduced a two-year window (1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2027) allowing people to launch civil cases for sexual assault allegations outside the statute of limitations.
Case
In light of the changes, Donna Motsinger brought a civil case against Cosby, alleging he raped her in 1972.
Motsinger’s lawyers said Cosby invited her to his comedy show while she was working at a California restaurant.
Cosby then gave her “alcohol and pills that rendered her incapacitated,” and raped her in this state.
The jury ruled in favour of Motsinger ‘on the balance of probabilities’, the standard used in civil cases (compared to ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ in criminal cases).
The court awarded her $US19.5 million for non-economic damages.
Motsinger was also awarded a further $US40 million in “punitive damages,” based on Cosby’s net worth.
Punitive damages are payments made when conduct is considered particularly damaging or deliberate, often as a punishment to the perpetrator rather than compensation to the victim-survivor.
In total, Cosby is required to pay Motsinger more than $AU85 million.
U.S. media reports Cosby’s legal team will appeal the verdict.
