Andrea Constand, whose 2004 complaint led to Bill Cosby's 2018 conviction for sexual assault that was later overturned, testified in a California civil trial on Thursday. Constand appeared as a witness for Donna Motsinger, 84, a former waitress who alleges Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972. Constand described her own 2004 encounter with Cosby, where she said he gave her three pills that incapacitated her before assaulting her.

She told jurors she felt 'really shocked,' 'humiliated,' and 'pretty scared' during the attack. Constand's testimony is part of a strategy by Motsinger's lawyers to establish a pattern of behavior by Cosby, calling three women whose accounts closely mirror Motsinger's allegations. Constand's 2004 complaint resulted in Cosby's 2018 conviction, which was overturned in 2021 after a judge ruled a prior non-prosecution agreement barred the case.

Cosby has consistently denied all sexual assault allegations, including Motsinger's, claiming any drug use was consensual. The civil trial, expected to last two weeks, is one of over a dozen pending lawsuits against Cosby, enabled by California's recent statute of limitations reforms allowing older claims. Constand's appearance marks her return to the witness stand nearly two decades after her initial testimony thrust Cosby into the spotlight.