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Bill Cosby could face fines or jail time if a California judge finds that he failed to follow orders tied to a $59.25 million civil judgment.
Donna Motsinger, who won the judgment against Cosby, filed a contempt request Nov. 4 in Santa Monica Superior Court. Her lawyers say Cosby has paid nothing toward the award and failed to provide financial information ordered by the court.
Judge Bradley S. Phillips has scheduled a hearing for January. Cosby, 89, denies Motsinger’s allegations and is appealing the judgment.
Why Motsinger wants Cosby held in contempt
According to court filings, Phillips ordered Cosby on Oct. 9 to answer questions about his bank accounts, income and assets within 10 days. The order also required him to pay $1,560 in sanctions.
Motsinger’s lawyers say Cosby did neither. They are asking the court to impose additional penalties and cover $3,284 in legal fees and costs.
They also want the judge to keep Cosby in custody until he complies if the court determines that he is deliberately refusing to follow the order.
However, civil contempt generally focuses on compliance with a court order rather than punishment for the underlying case. Cosby’s ability to comply could therefore become an important issue at the January hearing.
Why the $59 million remains unpaid
The two sides have presented sharply different accounts of Cosby’s finances.
Motsinger’s lawyers have previously alleged that Cosby sold artwork and moved money into a trust connected to his daughter. They argue that such transfers could affect their ability to collect the judgment.
An expert who testified for Motsinger at trial estimated Cosby’s net worth at about $128 million.
Cosby has said in a deposition that he no longer has access to the income that once made him wealthy. His attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has also described him as homebound and in poor health.
His legal team has previously pointed to his blindness and limited mobility when explaining why he missed a deposition.
How the case reached this point
Motsinger, now 85, said she met Cosby while working as a server at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito in 1972. She alleged that he invited her to a performance, gave her wine and a pill, and sexually assaulted her.
She filed her lawsuit in 2023 after California temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for certain sexual assault claims.
A jury awarded Motsinger $19.25 million in compensatory damages and $40 million in punitive damages in March. Phillips later denied Cosby’s request for a new trial.
Cosby continues to appeal the judgment. Meanwhile, nine other women have asked the same court to enter default judgments against him, alleging that he repeatedly failed to cooperate with discovery.
What happens at the January hearing
The hearing could determine whether Cosby knowingly ignored the court’s order or was unable to comply.
His age, health and financial circumstances could therefore become central to the proceedings. If the judge finds that Cosby willfully refused to follow the order, the court could impose fines or jail time.
For now, the $59.25 million judgment remains at the center of the dispute, while Cosby’s appeal continues.
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