Bill Cosby Lawsuit: A $59.25 Million Verdict, an Appeal, and a Fight Over Collecting It
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The Bill Cosby lawsuit in the news is Motsinger v. Cosby: in March 2026 a Los Angeles jury found Cosby liable for a 1972 sexual assault and awarded $59.25 million. A judge refused a new trial on May 29, 2026, Cosby has appealed, and the plaintiff says he has paid nothing. Separate cases continue in Nevada federal court and in New York. These are individual lawsuits, not a class action — there is no settlement fund, no claim form and no deadline for anyone else.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Allege
At least 60 women have publicly accused Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct; he has denied all of it and maintains that any sexual contact was consensual. Most of the claims are decades old. They reached court only because several states opened lookback windows that temporarily lifted or abolished the civil deadline for sexual assault claims.
The pattern alleged across the complaints is similar: an invitation tied to his career or a show, a drink or pills, and an assault while the woman was impaired. In the California case, the lawsuit alleged that Cosby invited a restaurant server to his comedy show in 1972, gave her wine and pills, and assaulted her. In Nevada, the original complaint, filed by nine women, alleged assaults between approximately 1979 and 1992 in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe; the case now has ten plaintiffs. In New York, claims also target the companies around The Cosby Show, alleging they failed to supervise him.
Only one of these cases has gone to a verdict in 2026. Everything else on this page is an allegation that no jury has decided.
Case Details
1. Motsinger v. Cosby (California). Los Angeles County Superior Court, Santa Monica Courthouse, Case No. 23SMCV04562, Judge Bradley S. Phillips. Filed in 2023. Jury verdict in March 2026; new-trial motion denied May 29, 2026; on appeal.
2. Lotte-Lublin v. Cosby (Nevada). U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, No. 2:23-cv-00932, Judge Gloria M. Navarro, filed June 14, 2023 under Nevada Senate Bill 129, which abolished the civil deadline for sexual assault claims. In September 2024 Judge Navarro let the case proceed on battery, emotional distress and false imprisonment claims while dismissing the stand-alone sexual assault claim. Ten women are plaintiffs.
3. New York Adult Survivors Act cases. In December 2022 five women sued Cosby and NBC in New York state court. Also in New York, on October 1 the Appellate Division, First Department dismissed a negligent supervision claim against The Carsey-Werner Company, the show’s producer, following its earlier ruling in B.B. v Cosby (245 AD3d 498). Two of five justices dissented.
Earlier, closed matters: a Santa Monica jury awarded Judy Huth $500,000 in June 2022 in a suit filed in 2014; Andrea Constand’s 2005 civil suit settled in 2006. Cosby’s April 26, 2018 criminal conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30, 2021.
Status: Verdict on Appeal, Other Cases Pending
In Nevada, the federal case is in pretrial discovery. On September 25, 2026 the plaintiffs filed a motion for sanctions (Doc. 95); an exhibit is their first deposition notice to Cosby, dated February 16, 2026. No trial date is confirmed.
In New York, the October 1 ruling dismissed a negligent supervision claim against the show’s producer. It did not decide whether the alleged assaults happened.
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Is Anyone Else Covered?
No. Every Cosby case is an individual lawsuit brought by named women. None is a class action, so there is no class to belong to, no notice letter, no administrator and no form. A verdict for one plaintiff does not pay anyone else.
If you have your own claim against anyone, the question is your state’s deadline. Lookback windows are narrow and mostly closed: New York’s Adult Survivors Act window opened November 24, 2022 and ran one year. Nevada removed its civil deadline for these claims in 2023. Our California, Nevada and New York pages explain how those laws work.
What the Verdicts Actually Pay
For comparison, the Huth verdict in 2022 was $500,000. Settlements Cosby has reached with other accusers, such as Constand in 2006, are private; we do not repeat unverified figures.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 111,990 other personal injury casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025, 3.6% of them filed as class actions:
- 39.9% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 13.8% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 39.9% and 53.7%.
- 5.7% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 106 reached a trial (0.9%), after a median of 23.9 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 9 months.
- Only 771 of them (0.7%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $500,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other personal injury cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Bill Cosby Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
June 2022 — Huth Verdict
A Santa Monica jury awards Judy Huth $500,000. Her suit, filed in 2014, alleged an assault at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was 16.
- 2
December 2022 — New York Suit Against Cosby and NBC
Five women sue under New York’s Adult Survivors Act. Four allegations date from the late 1980s or 1990, one from 1969.
- 3
June 14, 2023 — Nevada Federal Case Filed
Weeks after Nevada removed its civil deadline, women sue in federal court in Las Vegas (No. 2:23-cv-00932). Judge Navarro lets most claims proceed in September 2024.
- 4
March 2026 — $59.25 Million Verdict
A Los Angeles jury finds Cosby liable to Donna Motsinger for a 1972 assault: $19.25 million in damages plus $40 million in punitive damages. Cosby did not testify.
- 5
May 29, 2026 — New Trial Denied
Judge Bradley S. Phillips finds no irregularity and calls the evidence sufficient. Cosby appeals; in August 2026 the judge moves an asset hearing up to September.
- 6
October 1, 2026 — Producer Claim Dismissed in New York
The Appellate Division, First Department dismisses a negligent supervision claim against Carsey-Werner. In Nevada, a sanctions motion filed September 25, 2026 is pending.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous name and a big number attract people who want your money or your story:
“Claim your share of the Cosby settlement”
There is no Cosby settlement fund. The $59.25 million is a judgment for one plaintiff, still on appeal. Any site asking for your details to “register” for it is collecting data, not filing a claim.
“Join the Nevada class action”
The Nevada case has ten named plaintiffs and is not a class action. Nobody can add you to it by form. A lawyer’s retainer is a real legal decision, not a sign-up.
Fake court or “victim fund” messages
Courts do not email or text strangers about the Cosby cases, and no court-appointed administrator exists. A message asking for a fee or your Social Security number to release Cosby money is fraud.
Bill Cosby Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Which Bill Cosby lawsuit is in the news right now?
Mostly Motsinger v. Cosby, Case No. 23SMCV04562 in Los Angeles County Superior Court: a $59.25 million verdict from March 2026, upheld against a new-trial motion on May 29, 2026 and now on appeal. On October 1, 2026 a New York appeals court also dismissed a claim against The Cosby Show’s producer.
Did Bill Cosby pay the $59 million?
Not according to the plaintiff. Her lawyers wrote in August 2026 that “Cosby has paid none of the judgment.” A judge scheduled a hearing on his assets for September 2026. Cosby has appealed the verdict.
Is there a Bill Cosby class action or settlement I can join?
No. All the cases are individual lawsuits by named women. There is no class, no fund, no administrator, no claim form and no deadline to file with anyone.
What is the Nevada case?
Lotte-Lublin v. Cosby, No. 2:23-cv-00932 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, before Judge Gloria M. Navarro. Ten women allege assaults between the early 1970s and the early 1990s. As of October 2026 it is in pretrial discovery, with a plaintiffs’ sanctions motion filed September 25, 2026.
What did the New York appeals court decide on October 1, 2026?
It dismissed a claim that The Carsey-Werner Company negligently supervised Cosby. The court held that a studio visit where no assault allegedly happened was not enough to make the producer liable. It did not decide whether the alleged assaults happened, and two of five justices disagreed.
Wasn’t Cosby convicted?
He was convicted in Pennsylvania on April 26, 2018 in Andrea Constand’s case, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction on June 30, 2021 on procedural grounds. Civil cases are separate and use a lower standard of proof.
Does Cosby deny the allegations?
Yes. He has denied the allegations made by at least 60 women and maintains that any sexual contact was consensual. His lawyer said after the March 2026 verdict that they intend to appeal.
I was assaulted by someone years ago. Can I still sue?
It depends on your state. Some, like Nevada, have removed the civil deadline; others opened temporary windows that have since closed, such as New York’s Adult Survivors Act window, which opened November 24, 2022 and ran one year. A licensed attorney in your state can tell you whether a claim is still possible.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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