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Bill Cosby Countersues Seven Accusers, Demands a Public Retraction
The disgraced comedian accuses his accusers of trying to extort him
Attorneys for Bill Cosby filed a counterclaim in Massachusetts federal court Monday, refuting the accusations of sexual assault by seven women.
In the 89-page filing, obtained by Deadline, Cosby denies drugging and/or sexually assaulting any of the women who filed the suit. He's suing them back for damages, claiming that they cost him lucrative deals with NBC and Netflix and defamed his reputation. The suit demands that his accusers retract their accusations.
"Each Counterclaim Defendant 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 by willfully, maliciously, and falsely accusing Mr. Cosby of multi decade-old purported sexual misconduct in an opportunistic attempt to extract financial gain from their allegations," the filing states.
Four more women have joined Bill Cosby defamation suit
On November 18, 2014, Netflix canceled a Cosby standup special a week before it was scheduled to air when the allegations against him flared up after a period of dormancy. The next day, NBC iced development of a family sitcom with Cosby.
Over 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault over a period of time stretching back decades.
The Massachusetts suit against Cosby was filed on behalf of seven women: Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis, and Angela Leslie. Cosby is scheduled to give depositions in the case soon. He is also trying to avoid giving a deposition in a separate suit filed by former America's Next Top Modeljudge Janice Dickinson.
Bill Cosby deposition in Janice Dickinson lawsuit delayed
Cosby is having a rough day in Massachusetts, as his honorary degree from Boston University was also revoked Monday, with the school stating his behavior "demonstrates that his character fails to reflect the integrity and virtues that the university values and esteems," according to Deadline.