New lawsuit accuses Bill Cosby of rape in 1972
A new lawsuit has accused Bill Cosby of drugging and raping a woman in 1972.
Cosby was previously jailed in 2018 for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, yet he was released in 2021 after the conviction was overturned on a legal technicality. However, the guilty verdict still stands.
The latest woman to make an allegation against Cosby is Donna Motsinger, who met him while she worked at The Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California. She claims in the lawsuit that the actor drugged her, leaving her to be sent home in nothing but her underwear.
Motsinger alleges Cosby was a regular at the restaurant and claims he invited her to his show at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlo. They travelled to the show in his limousine, and during the ride, she alleges he gave her a glass of wine.
Once they arrived at the venue, Motsinger claims she began to feel unwell and alleges that Cosby gave her what she believed to be an aspirin but said it made her become unconsciousness, alleging she :knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby”.
According to Rolling Stone, the lawsuit reads: “In the limousine, Mr. Cosby sat near the window and put his arms around her. The last thing Ms. Motsinger recalls were flashes of light. She woke up in her house with all her clothes off, except her underwear on – no top, no bra, and no pants.”
Jemmin Inc, the now-dissolved MCA Inc, and Circle Star Theater Corp are also named as defendants in Motsinger’s lawsuit.
Her lawyer Jesse Creed told Deadline that they “not only provided a platform for Mr. Cosby to showcase his fame and fortune to lure in women, but then put their own profits over the safety of their female guests by turning a blind eye to Mr. Cosby’s alleged sexual assaults on women”.
In June, nine women accused Cosby of sexual assault and filed a lawsuit in a US district court in Nevada. In total, more than 60 women have accused the actor of sexual misconduct.
The nine plaintiffs in that case have been identified as Janice Dickinson, Lise Lotte-Lublin, Janice Baker Kinney, Lili Bernard, Heidi Thomas, Linda Kirkpatrick, Rebecca Cooper, Pam Joy Abeyta, and Angela Leslie. The women allege Cosby drugged and sexually abused them.
The allegations span from 1979 to 1992. In the filing, they allege Cosby “used his enormous power, fame and prestige, and claimed interest in helping them and/or their careers, as a pretense to isolate and sexually assault them.”
Cosby has previously denied the claims above.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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