Bill Cosby's Rape Accuser Says He's Skipping Trial 'Because He Does Not Care to Appear'

Bill Cosby will not testify at his upcoming civil rape trial — and according to his accuser, he won't even bother showing up to court.

According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Donna Motsinger, who accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1972, says the former TV star will not appear at the trial she filed against him. Her filing states he is skipping the proceedings "because he does not care to appear." The only time the jury will hear from Cosby will be through a previously recorded deposition.

What Happened?

Motsinger alleges that Cosby assaulted her in 1972 while she was working as a server at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California. In a declaration filed in her lawsuit in January 2026, she stated: "I believe that I was drugged by Bill Cosby. This led to my incapacitated state and inability to resist. I was feeling fine earlier that day. I drank a small amount of alcohol that evening. I took pills that Mr. Cosby gave me. A short time later, I experienced a loss of consciousness. I do not believe the pills that Mr. Cosby gave me were aspirin. Aspirin does not knock somebody out."

She says she later woke up partially clothed, with no memory of how she got there.

What makes the case particularly significant is what Cosby himself said under oath. In a sealed deposition given in November 2025, Cosby admitted he refilled a recreational prescription for Quaaludes seven times — and testified that he never took the pills himself. Instead, he said the drugs were intended to be given to women. He said he obtained the prescription from Dr. Leroy Amar, a gynecologist and personal friend, during a poker game at Cosby's Los Angeles home prior to 1972. Dr. Amar later had his California medical license revoked in 1979.

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The testimony closely mirrors Cosby's widely reported 2005 deposition — made public years later — in which he acknowledged obtaining Quaaludes to give to women before sexual encounters. That deposition became a key piece of evidence in the wave of civil lawsuits and criminal proceedings that followed.

The Deposition That Could Define the Trial

With Cosby declining to appear, his taped deposition becomes the centerpiece of what the jury will hear from him directly. Motsinger's legal team is expected to play the recording — in which his own words describe obtaining drugs specifically to give to women — for a jury that will be deciding whether he assaulted her more than five decades ago.

Cosby's representative has pushed back on the characterization of his testimony, calling it "a distortion based on cherry-picked excerpts of a deposition" and claiming Cosby has never admitted to involuntarily incapacitating anyone. "Quaaludes were the party drug of the '70s," the representative said, adding the drug was widely advertised and "consumed like candy." The statement argued it will ultimately be up to the jury to determine whether Motsinger's account is credible.

Jury selection began Monday in Santa Monica, California. Andrea Constand — whose own case against Cosby resulted in a 2018 criminal conviction, later overturned on procedural grounds in 2021 — plans to attend at least part of the trial to support Motsinger. "She's so courageous," Constand said. "This is an 84-year-old woman seeking justice for what happened to her. It's so inspiring, and I'm really proud of her."

Nearly 30 women have filed sexual assault lawsuits against Cosby in three different states under lookback window laws, the majority of which have survived motions to dismiss and appear headed to trial. More than 60 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct — many describing similar patterns involving drugs and incapacitation.

Cosby has denied assaulting Motsinger. He is currently seeking to have her lawsuit dismissed. The trial is now underway — with or without him in the room.