Bill Cosby Is Suing Seven of His Accusers for Defamation

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:

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.