Bill Cosby countersues 7 accusers

Andrea Mandell | USA TODAY

Bill Cosby is claiming defamation in a lawsuit filed Monday against seven of his accusers.

"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," Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, tells USA TODAY in a statement.

The suit, filed in federal court, is aimed at Massachusetts accusers Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. Pressley's statement adds that the "false...opportunistic" allegations have caused Cosby to suffer loss of jobs and "mortification."

The seven women have joined together in a defamation suit against Cosby in federal court in Massachusetts (where he lives), originally filed last year by three accusers. It's the largest of the half dozen civil lawsuits filed against Cosby in recent months.

All are known accusers who have come forward publicly in various forums to accuse Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them in episodes dating back to the mid-1960s.

Cosby's defamation suit against the seven women comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts refused to throw out their suit against him in October.

"This was expected," says attorney Joseph Cammarata, who represents the seven women named in the Massachusetts suit. "It’s a page out of a defense lawyer’s playbook. It’s curious to me how there can be scores of other ladies who have come out, and yet Mr. Cosby has singled out seven of them to bring a claim against. It’s seems a bit retaliatory to me.”

Attorney Gloria Allred, who is one of six lawyers handling civil lawsuits against Cosby (and represents roughly half of his accusers) spoke out about the news.

"Bill Cosby appears to be going to war against women who have sued him in Massachusetts and who allege that he has victimized them," she tells USA TODAY. "Although I do not represent the women in that case, I do believe that in general such a tactic will not deter courageous women from fighting the battle against him."

Allred's daughter, attorney Lisa Bloom, also joined the conversation. She represents Janice Dickinson, who is also pursuing a civil suit against Cosby for defamation. Dickinson has alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1982, which Cosby has denied.

"Having been unsuccessful in his attempt to get the Massachusetts accusers' claims thrown out, Bill Cosby's next aggressive legal move is to countersue them. At least this ensures that the accusers will get the day in court they have been seeking," says Bloom, noting Dickinson is awaiting a decision by the court of appeals on whether Cosby will be deposed in her case.

The deposition had been set for November until a judge temporarily stayed the order.

Cosby's countersuit arrives the same day Boston University decided to revoke the honorary degree conferred on Cosby in 2014, joining scores of colleges and universities who have revoked similar degrees in the last year .

"The Board’s decision was based on a determination, supported by Mr. Cosby’s sworn deposition testimony, that his treatment of women has brought significant and lasting discredit upon himself and is inconsistent with the University’s mission and values," said Boston University president Robert A. Brown in a statement.

The total number of women who have publicly claimed Cosby drugged and/or sexually assaulted them in decades past sits at nearly 50. Cosby has denied wrongdoing, and most of the accusations are too old to pursue in criminal court.

Cosby was deposed inOctober in the California civil case brought by Judy Huth, who claims Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him in the 1970s. That deposition has not been made public and won't be until at least Dec. 22.

According to his attorney, Cosby is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.