Bill Cosby Is Suing 7 Accusers For Defamation

Bill Cosby is taking legal action against seven of the more than 50 women who have stepped forward and accused him of sexual assault or misconduct. Today, Cosby filed a defamation suit in Massachusetts against Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie, according to a statement released by the comedian's lawyer, Monique Pressley. The lawsuit charges the women with making "malicious, opportunistic, and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him." Pressley's statement further describes the defendants' behavior as "outrageous and morally repugnant." Cosby is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as a public retraction from the women. The suit is in response to a defamation suit the women filed against him, which a Massachusetts judge refused to throw out. Pressley, of The Pressley Firm in Washington, D.C., shared her statement on Twitter.