November 13, 2026
Joshua Wurtzel recently spoke to Fox News about the most recent development in Bill Cosby’s civil suit. The article, “Bill Cosby accused of allegedly failing to pay $59M sexual assault damages: court docs,” describes new court documents that allege Cosby hasn’t paid any of the awarded damages to one of his accusers, Donna Motsinger.
Motsinger asked the court to hold Cosby in contempt of court. Joshua says there’s a real chance an arrest warrant is issued, but not for failing to pay the judgment.
"Courts typically are not able to jail people for unpaid civil debts," Joshua tells Fox News. "The warrant would be for ignoring the court’s October order requiring him to answer written questions about his assets under oath…If the court issues an order to show cause, Cosby is personally served, and he does not appear, California law lets the judge issue a warrant directing the sheriff to bring him in. And if the court holds him in contempt, it can order him confined until he answers the questions.”
Being held in contempt is used as both a threat and a tactic to force compliance, he says. The problem comes down to Cosby’s current location.
"If Cosby is located outside of California, it may be very difficult to actually execute on the arrest warrant and will depend on whether law enforcement in California is willing to have him extradited from another state," Joshua notes.
Read the full story on Fox News Digital.
Joshua Wurtzel is a partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP who focuses his practice on complex commercial, real-estate, and commercial-lending litigation. He has been recognized on the Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch® in America” list in Commercial Litigation and the New York Metro Super Lawyers® "Rising Stars" list in Business Litigation.