Bill Cosby

A Los Angeles jury found Cosby civilly liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972. It awarded 19.25 million dollars in compensatory damages and 40 million dollars in punitive damages. In May 2026, the judge denied motions for a new trial and judgment notwithstanding the verdict.

Attribution

Accused

Following the introduction of statutory windows allowing historical claims to be filed, five women sued Cosby in New York and subsequently nine women in Nevada, alleging sexual assaults dating back several decades.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Accused

A California civil jury found that Cosby had sexually assaulted Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16, awarding her 500,000 dollars in damages.

Attribution

Accused

The defamation dispute brought by Janice Dickinson was settled by insurer AIG. Cosby publicly opposed the settlement, stating that he wanted to proceed to trial and that the settlement prevented him from challenging the allegations before a jury.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Accused

Andrea Constand accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her at his home. After prosecutors initially declined to bring criminal charges in 2005, she filed a civil lawsuit that ended in a confidential settlement in 2006, the amount of 3.38 million dollars being disclosed in 2018.

Attribution

Accused

Excerpts from Cosby's 2005 civil deposition revealed that he had acknowledged obtaining Quaaludes with the intention of giving them to women with whom he wanted to have sexual relations. This revelation significantly intensified the public crisis surrounding the allegations.

Attribution

Directly implicated

After several women sued him over sexual abuse or defamation, Cosby filed defamation counterclaims against seven accusers, maintaining that their allegations were false and had destroyed his reputation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

From autumn 2014, numerous women publicly accused Cosby of sexual assaults dating back several decades. NBC abandoned a planned series, Netflix postponed a special, broadcasters withdrew reruns and Cosby left the board of trustees of Temple University.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Accused

During a speech commemorating Brown v. Board of Education, Cosby strongly criticised certain behaviours within African-American communities, addressing parenting, language, consumption, crime and individual responsibility. The speech sparked intense debate over respectability politics and blaming poorer people.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Autumn Jackson's extortion trial publicly exposed an extramarital affair Cosby acknowledged having had with Jackson's mother, as well as secret payments of approximately 100,000 dollars. Jackson claimed to be his daughter and demanded money.

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim