Bill Cosby filed counter-suits against the seven women who accused him of allegedly committing sexual assault and misconduct. Cosby's lawyer Monique Pressley said the 78 year old filed a defamation suit against Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie in the U.S. district court in Springfield, Mass.
Over 50 women have sexual assault allegations or misconduct claims against Cosby that occurred in the past 30 years.
Cosby's suit states that the women created "malicious, opportunistic and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him," according to the Huffington Post. He also added that the women "knowingly published false statements and accusations."
Bill Cosby countersues seven sexual-assault accusers, claiming they've caused him “mortification” and cost him jobs https://t.co/vzuCTLn5qC
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 14, 2015
In December 2014, three of the seven women - Traitz, Serignese, and Green - filed a case against Cosby. This November, the rest of the women followed and filed their claims as well. A federal judge did not dismiss the claims made by the women which led to Cosby filing his counter-suit, according to the Associated Press.
"Relying solely on unsubstantiated accusations, counterclaim defendants have engaged in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby's reputation and character by willfully, maliciously, and falsely accusing Mr. Cosby of multi-decade-old purported sexual misconduct," Cosby's lawyer's court papers read, Reuters reported.
Joseph Cammarata, the lawyer of the seven women, released a statement regarding the counter-suit.
"If anyone is surprised by Cosby's actions today, they shouldn't be," Cammarata said, according to CNN. "He's taken a page out of the defense attorney's playbook in an effort to shift the focus of this legitimate inquiry. It is curious that he has filed a claim only against these seven women when there are scores of other women who have made similar allegations of sexual abuse and assault against Mr. Cosby."
Over 50 women have sexual assault allegations or misconduct claims against Cosby that allegedly occurred in the past 30 years.
