Bill Cosby is making a another attempt to overturn a massive civil judgment that ordered him to pay nearly $60 million for a sexual assault dating back to the 1970s.
Lawyers for the 88-year-old filed a request for a new trial on Thursday, arguing that the recent verdict in favor of accuser Donna Motsinger was flawed. They claim the judge improperly restricted their defense by blocking questions about Motsinger’s past and that the final dollar amount is far too steep.
The case stems from a 2026 civil trial where a jury found Cosby liable for drugging and assaulting Motsinger in 1972 while she was working at a restaurant. Motsinger was awarded $19.25 million for her suffering and an additional $40 million in punitive damages. Cosby’s legal team is now attacking that $40 million figure, noting it represents a third of his total net worth.
They also argue that hitting a blind, isolated man of his age with such a high bill doesn’t serve as a warning to others. As they put it in court documents, the penalty serves no purpose for an “an 88-year-old man with no sight who lives an isolated life.”
Beyond the money, the defense is pushing for a do-over based on how the trial was handled. Attorneys say they weren’t allowed to cross-examine Motsinger on statements she gave to the police years ago, nor were they permitted to bring up evidence of her past drug use. They believe these missing pieces of information could have changed the jury’s mind. Motsinger, now 84, has maintained that the case was finally about holding the comedian accountable, previously stating, “Today, a jury saw the truth and held him accountable. That means everything.”
Cosby has been in and out of the courtroom for years following dozens of similar accusations. While he served three years in a Pennsylvania prison starting in 2018, that criminal conviction was eventually thrown out in 2021 on a technicality.
This latest civil battle in California was made possible by new laws that allow survivors to file claims decades after an incident occurred. If the court denies this request for a new trial, Cosby will be on the hook for one of the largest financial payouts of his life.
