A civil jury in Los Angeles County has found comedian Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman more than five decades ago, ordering the 88-year-old entertainer to pay her $19.25 million in compensatory damages.

The verdict, reached Monday after a nearly two-week trial, concerns claims brought by Donna Motsinger, a former waitress who alleged that Cosby assaulted her in 1972.

According to the lawsuit, Motsinger was working at a restaurant in Sausalito, California, when Cosby visited. He later invited her to one of his comedy shows at the Circle Star Theater, where she says he gave her wine and a pill, causing her to lose consciousness.

She recalled flashes of light and later woke up at home naked except for her underwear, realizing she had been drugged and raped.Jurors determined that Cosby committed sexual battery and assault.

The award includes $17.5 million for Motsinger’s past mental trauma and $1.75 million for future suffering. Some reports indicate the jury also began considering additional punitive damages, which could significantly increase the total.

Cosby’s legal team has indicated it plans to appeal the decision.

The case marks the latest legal setback for the once-beloved star of The Cosby Show, who has faced dozens of sexual assault allegations from women dating back decades.

He served nearly three years in a Pennsylvania prison after a 2018 conviction for sexual assault, but that criminal conviction was overturned by an appeals court in 2021 on procedural grounds.

Cosby has consistently denied the accusations against him. This civil verdict comes amid a string of similar lawsuits. In 2022, another California jury found Cosby liable in a separate case involving a teenager at the Playboy Mansion and awarded $500,000 in damages.

Motsinger was previously identified as “Jane Doe No. 8” in an earlier civil action related to Cosby.

The judgment adds to the mounting financial and reputational consequences for the disgraced entertainer, who has seen his legacy as “America’s Dad” largely dismantled by the wave of allegations that surfaced publicly around 2014.

Suspected terrorists early Monday detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) that destroyed a critical bridge linking several communities in Borgu Local Government Area, severing a key transportation route and claiming at least eight lives.

The attack occurred around 2:00 a.m. along Luma Road, where the bridge connects the Luma, Babana, and Agwara communities.

This vital link serves residents traveling to the weekly Babanna border market, a major economic hub held every Monday. The destruction has disrupted movement, trade, and access to essential services in the affected rural areas.

According to the Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, suspected terrorists believed to be operating from forests near Kainji National Park used explosives to bomb the bridge in an apparent effort to hinder ongoing counter-insurgency operations by security forces.

Tragically, the same attackers are reported to have planted another IED along the road, which detonated and struck a passing vehicle, killing all eight occupants. Clearance and monitoring operations have been intensified in the area, with authorities working to restore access and pursue the perpetrators.

The incident highlights the persistent security challenges in parts of Niger State, where armed groups have carried out repeated attacks on infrastructure and civilians in recent months. Local residents expressed concern over the economic impact, especially with the major market day coinciding with the attack’s aftermath.

Security agencies have urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities as efforts continue to secure the region and repair the damaged infrastructure.

Nigeria’s former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation, Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku, has been convicted and sentenced to a cumulative 72 years’ imprisonment over an N868.46 million fraud case.

Nwabuoku was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on money laundering.

The anti-graft agency had arraigned the former AGF on multiple counts, alleging that he laundered public funds amounting to over N868 million through various illicit financial transactions.

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