The comedian who once filled arenas across the country told a sworn deposition that he will not board a plane, because he is afraid of crowds.
Three never-before-seen clips of Bill Cosby’s sworn deposition in the civil case brought by Donna Motsinger surfaced Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, obtained by a tabloid after jurors saw them at trial.
Asked under oath why he no longer travels to California, the 89-year-old “Cosby Show” star answered: “I am a celebrity, and due to negative publicity about me, I am afraid to be in crowds, especially on airlines, trains, buses.” He was pressed on whether he gets “on a plane to go anywhere.” His response was firm: “No.” The source deposition video runs more than an hour.
Two Pills She Thought Were Aspirin
A civil jury in Santa Monica, Calif., found Cosby liable Monday, March 23, for sexually assaulting Motsinger in 1972. The trial lasted nearly two weeks, and the jury deliberated about two days.
Jurors awarded Motsinger $17.5 million in past damages and $1.75 million for future damages, covering mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation and emotional distress. In a second phase that afternoon, they added $40 million in punitive damages, pushing the case cost to $59.25 million.
Motsinger, 85, worked as a server at a restaurant in Sausalito, Calif., when she met Cosby. Her 2023 lawsuit said he invited her to his stand-up show at a theater in nearby San Carlos, when both were in their 30s. She gave an account of wine and two pills she believed were aspirin, then drifting in and out of consciousness as two men put her into a limousine. Her suit took about two and a half years from filing to verdict, while other lawsuits against Cosby have stalled.
Cosby did not testify at the trial. Witnesses included Andrea Constand, the Temple University sports administrator he was convicted of sexually assaulting in a Pennsylvania criminal court in 2018. The state Supreme Court threw out that verdict, and he walked free after nearly three years of a three- to 10-year sentence. At least 60 women have accused him of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment, all of which he has denied.
Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said in an email after the initial award that the defense was disappointed and fully intends to appeal.
Too Ill to Sit for Questions
Cosby’s health has become its own courtroom fight. His legal team filed documents in July claiming he was too ill to sit for a deposition in a separate civil lawsuit brought by several women. Those filings said June dates collapsed because his male assistant, who helps him with basic needs, was unavailable. His lawyer said in July that he was not in good health.
Lawyers for the women told the court the deposition had been scheduled Sept. 22 through Sept. 24, and that his side canceled on Sept. 21. They said it was the third set of dates called off, after instances in April and June, and asked the judge for sanctions, or at minimum an order blocking him from testifying.
A Writ Served, Then Silence
Los Angeles judge Bradley S. Phillips rejected Cosby’s motion for a new trial on May 29, leaving the verdict and the full award standing. Cosby had described the sum as excessive. His lawyers argued in April that the $40 million in punitive damages did nothing to deter future conduct, calling him an isolated 88-year-old man with no sight.
Court papers obtained in October show a writ of execution served on him — a tool to force payment of a money judgment, typically by seizing and selling a debtor’s non-exempt property or garnishing funds. He owes Motsinger $59.25 million plus more than $3.3 million in accrued interest and fees. The tabloid reported that he appeared to go off the grid after the court ordered the payment.
Motsinger told the tabloid: “I finally got justice, and I hope I get some money.” Her lawyer, Jesse Creed of Panish Shea Ravipudi, said his team will go “to the ends of the earth to get the money,” and warned that anyone who has taken money from Cosby could face liability for fraudulent transfer.