Bill Cosby has filed a lawsuit against seven women who accused the disgraced comedian of sexual assault. The Cosby Show star is suing Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis, and Angela Leslie, claiming they’ve made “malicious, opportunistic, false, and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him.”
He’s seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The suit was filed in response to the defamation suit brought against the actor by his accusers. Traitz, Serignese, and Green first filed a suit against Cobsy in December 2014, and were joined by Bowman, Tarshis, Moritz, and Leslie this past November. Cosby’s countersuit against the seven women comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts refused to throw out their suit against him. (Via)
Cosby’s attorney, Monique Pressley, maintains that her client “neither drugged nor sexually assaulted the defendants,” despite all 50-plus accusations to the contrary. Famous lawyer Damon Wayans agrees.
Here’s the press release.
My statement re today's lawsuit filed by @BillCosby against all 7 accusers in Massachusetts lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/XRYoV4gXpC
— Monique Pressley (@MoniquePressley) December 14, 2015
Left out is the part where Cosby said his accusers “induced both NBC and Netflix to postpone or cancel their contracts with Mr. Cosby by engaging in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby’s reputation and character.” Also unmentioned: In 2005, Cosby admitted, under oath, that he gave Quaaludes to “women he wanted to have sex with.” Meanwhile, on the same day the lawsuit was filed, Boston College took away his honorary degree, one of many universities to do so.
One of the lawyers overseeing the civil suits against Cosby, Gloria Allred, told USA Today that he’s going “to war against women,” but reminds them to not stop “fighting the battle against him.”
(Via the Huffington Post)