Bill Cosby, who has been accused by as many as 60 individuals of sexual misconduct or assault, is now countersuing seven women for defamation. In a Twitter post by his lawyer Monique Pressley on Monday, a statement said that Cosby would be pursuing legal action for "defamation per se, tortious interference and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
The statement claims Cosby, 78, will be filing counterclaims against Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie "for their malicious, opportunistic, and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct." It adds:
"Mr. Cosby states plainly that he neither drugged nor sexually assaulted the defendants and that each defendant has maliciously and knowingly published multiple false statements and accusations from Fall 2014 through the current day in an effort to cause damage to Mr. Cosby's reputation and to extract financial gains. Mr. Cosby's suit further states that defendants' multi-decade old, false, uncorroborated, opportunistic allegations of sexual assault have caused and continue to cause him to suffer substantial injuries and damages to reputation, business contracts, shame, mortification, damages to property, business, trade, profession and occupation."
All seven women have gone public with their alleged assaults by Cosby, and nearly all of them appeared in New York Magazine's explosive cover story earlier this year that published the accusations of a total of 35 individuals.
The statement claims Cosby is requesting "relief from the defendants' intentional campaign to assassinate his character for their own financial gain by awarding him compensatory and punitive damages to the maximum extent permitted by law" and also demands that the defendants cease pursuing legal action.
