Los Angeles [US], March 24 (ANI): A jury in California has ordered Bill Cosby to pay USD 19.25 million in damages to a former waitress after finding he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her back in 1972.

The jury awarded the woman USD 19.25 million in damages as Cosby navigates financial woes caused by a series of lawsuits from women with rape accusations, many of which were filed under state laws that extended the window to sue for sexual assault alleged to have occurred decades ago. She could be paid more depending on whether jurors decide to grant punitive damages, meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious misconduct, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the complaint, the woman met Cosby in her 30s when she worked as a waitress at then-celebrity hotspot The Trident, where the entertainer was a regular. On one occasion, Cosby followed her back to her Mill Valley home and asked to escort her to his show at the Circle Star Theater.

After picking her up in a limo, Cosby 'gave her a glass of wine, the lawsuit alleged. Once there, Motsinger said she felt sick and was given what she believed was an aspirin. She proceeded to drift in and out of consciousness before waking up at her house with all her clothes off except her underwear.'

The decision came nearly five years after Cosby was freed from prison in Pennsylvania when the state Supreme Court threw out a criminal conviction based on similar allegations, CNN reported.

Last year, Cosby was sued for defaulting on a USD17.5 million mortgage for his Manhattan townhouse. He's been accused of transferring property to his wife to hide assets. (ANI)