NORRISTOWN, PA – MAY 24: Bill Cosby departs the Montgomery County Courthouse after a preliminary hearing, May 24, 2016, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Cosby was ordered to stand trial on sexual assault charges after a hearing that hinged on a decade-old police report. (Photo by Matt Rourke-Pool/Getty Images)
Bill Cosby has been a free man since his 2018 sexual assault conviction was overturned five years ago. But new court filings threaten to change that. If a judge agrees with the allegations in a recent motion, he could find himself back behind bars.
The filing comes from Debra Motsinger, who brought a civil suit against Bill Cosby in September 2023. In it, she alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1972. Now she’s asking the court to hold him in contempt for failing to pay any portion of the $59.25 million judgment against him.
Motsinger also claims Cosby hasn’t turned over the financial documents the judge ordered in early October. The court specifically demanded information about his bank accounts, income, and assets. He was also hit with $1,560 in sanctions due within 10 days—money that, according to the filing, never materialized.
Her motion seeks to compel Cosby back to court to explain the non-compliance. If he refuses to appear, Motsinger is requesting a warrant for his arrest and jail time until he complies. She’s also asking for five days of incarceration per violation, up to $1,000 in fines, and an additional $3,284 in attorney’s fees.
Cosby has maintained his innocence throughout the civil case and has not responded to the new filings. The case itself revealed troubling details. During a deposition in January 2026, Cosby admitted to regularly refilling a prescription for quaaludes specifically to give to women before or during sexual encounters.
According to Motsinger’s allegations, Cosby gave her wine and what she believed was aspirin in his dressing room. She lost consciousness and woke up at home partially undressed, believing she had been drugged and assaulted. The civil jury found her claims credible.
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