Bill Cosby has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by seven women who claim they were defamed when he publicly denied their allegations of sexual misconduct.
The women — Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis, and Angela Leslie — sued Cosby in 2014, saying he called them liars after they came forward with allegations of sexual abuse. The comedian then filed a counter lawsuit in Massachusetts the following year, claiming defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and loss of business.
In September 2018, Cosby was sentenced to 3–10 years in prison in Pennsylvania for drugging and raping Andrea Constand in 2004. He had insisted the encounter was consensual. Cosby will also be required to register as a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
Joseph Cammarata, who represents the seven women, told the Associated Press that each of his clients “is satisfied with the settlement,” although he did not elaborate on what it entailed.
The agreement, reached while Cosby was in prison, is confidential and must still be approved by a judge.
It’s unclear if Cosby will drop his counterclaims as part of the agreement. His attorneys did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.
But in a statement to USA Today, Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, said the comedian had nothing to do with the settlement and continues to deny that he did anything wrong.
"AIG (Cosby's insurance carrier) decided to settle these cases, without the knowledge, permission and/or consent of Mr. Cosby," Wyatt said in a statement.Wyatt added that Cosby is not paying anything out his own pocket and is still pursuing his counterclaims.
More than 60 women have accused the 81-year-old comedian of sexually assaulting them, many after being drugged, over the course of decades.