The verdict is in. A Civil Court in California has ruled on a sexual assault lawsuit against the infamous actor Bill Cosby. The jury found Cosby liable for sexually assaulting and drugging a woman in 1973. CBS reported more on the lawsuit against Cosby and how much he has to pay the victim: A civil jury in California found Monday that Bill Cosby was liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her $59.25 million. After a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica, jurors found Cosby, 88, liable for the sexual battery and assault of Donna Motsinger. They awarded her $17.5 million in past damages and $1.75 million for future damages, including “mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress.” Then, in a second phase of the trial Monday afternoon, jurors awarded an additional $40 million in punitive damages. Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said in an email after the initial award earlier Monday that they are disappointed and fully intend to appeal the verdict. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the punitive damages. Deliberations lasted about two days. The decision came nearly five years after Cosby was freed from prison in Pennsylvania when the state Supreme Court threw out a criminal conviction based on similar allegations. He has settled some similar lawsuits and has been ordered to pay in others, but Monday’s award is likely the most he has been ordered to pay in a case. BREAKING: A woman who says Bill Cosby drugged and r*ped her has been awarded $19.25 million by a jury. https://t.co/QTFReFemsp pic.twitter.com/OoMsd5mU0M — TMZ (@TMZ) March 23, 2026 People reported on Cosby’s criminal cases: Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each of which carried a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. Despite numerous efforts by his attorneys to have the charges dismissed and his deposition barred as evidenced, judges ultimately ruled against Cosby and his lawyers. Cosby’s initial trial began in June 2017. After six days of testimony (including from Constand and one of his accusers from the 2005 civil complaint) and six days of jury deliberation, a mistrial was declared after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and remained deadlocked. In April 2018, Cosby was back in the courtroom for his retrial in the Constand case. This time, the judge allowed for five women to testify against the entertainer about their alleged assaults, as opposed to just one, according to The New York Times. But the defense also had a new witness: A Temple employee who alleged Constand once told her she could make money by falsely accusing a prominent person. One person the court did not hear from at either trial, however, was Cosby himself. Cosby’s retrial lasted nearly two weeks. After 12 days of testimony and arguments, he was found guilty on all charges and convicted of sexual assault. Following the conviction, Cosby — who faced up to 30 years behind bars — was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison in September 2018. In May 2021, Cosby’s initial petition for parole was denied after he refused to participate in or complete a treatment program for sex offenders and violence prevention. However, a few weeks later, Cosby was freed after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction. Despite two lower state courts refusing to alter the outcome, the state supreme court agreed to hear the case in June 2021. Their decision to reverse his guilty verdict stemmed from the agreement Cosby had made back in 2005 with then-district attorney Castor, who promised him immunity from criminal charges if he sat for a deposition in Constand’s civil case. As a result, the court determined that Cosby had been subject to “an unconstitutional ‘coercive bait-and-switch,’ ” which the court characterized as a “due process violation.” The judgement called for Cosby to be released from prison immediately (he was about two years into his maximum 10-year sentence) — and on June 30, 2021, he was set free from State Correctional Institute-Phoenix in Collegeville, Penn. Cosby had been in prison for about three years, per The New York Times. Additionally, the court’s decision prohibited the possibility of any future criminal charges in the Constand case. Here’s the moment Cosby was released from prison: https://youtu.be/C5C2P403zL0?si=-Iu3xAsyJRpM3p1j