Bill Cosby drops defamation suit against seven accusers who spoke out about his sexual assaults after he paid them to keep quiet as his lawyers say the comedian wants to 'focus on other matters'
- Court papers filed Friday show the Massachusetts defamation countersuit against seven women who accused Cosby of sexual assault is now over
- Cosby's insurer, AIG, had settled with the women last month for an undisclosed sum without his consent
- The comedian, 81, objected to the settlement from behind bars, after the women spoke out about being assaulted by him despite being paid
Bill Cosby has dropped his countersuit against seven women who accused him of sexually assaulting them.
Court papers filed Friday show the four-year defamation case in Massachusetts is now over.
Cosby's insurer, AIG, had settled with the women last month for an undisclosed sum.
The 81-year-old comedian had objected to the settlement, which his spokesman Andrew Wyatt, previously said AIG executed 'without the knowledge, permission and/or consent of Mr. Cosby', who vowed to pursue his counterclaims.
Court papers filed Friday show Bill Cosby's Massachusetts defamation countersuit against seven women who accused him of sexually assault is now over
The women involved in the defamation case include (from left to right) Therese Serignese and Tamara Green
(From left to right) Barbara Bowman and Angela Leslie also have accused Cosby of sexually assaulting them
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On Friday, Wyatt said his famous client dropped the case 'to focus on other matters.'
Cosby is serving a three to 10-year sentence in Pennsylvania for drugging and molesting a Andrea Constand back in 2004.
The women involved in the defamation case were model Tamara Green, single mom Therese Serignese, former waitress Linda Traitz, late actress Louisa Moritz, teen actress-turned artist Barbara Bowman, former publicist and journalist Joan Tarshis and actress Angela Leslie.
All seven women came out publicly accusing Cosby of sexually assaulting them after a video of comedian Hannibal Burress joking about Cosby's longstanding rape allegations went viral on social media in 2014.
(From left to right) Linda Traiz and Joan Tarshis also were named in Cosby's recently-dropped defamation suit
Late actress Louisa Moritz was the final woman named in Cosby's suit. She died earlier this year
When Cosby denied assaulting the women, they sued him for defamation.
The details of the parties' settlement were confidential.
Cosby's spokesman previously confirmed a settlement had been reached, but said AIG was paying the women, not Cosby, according to the New York Times.
Lawyer Joe Cammarata representing the seven women says his clients believe they are 'truth tellers.' He had planned to take Cosby's deposition if he pursued his countersuit.
'The clients are happy that Mr. Cosby has dismissed his counterclaims against them,' Cammarata. This brings this matter to an end' Cammarata said in Friday interview with the Washington Post.
Cosby must still deal with a sexual battery complaint that was filed against him by a model named Chloe Goins, who has accused the comedian of drugging and assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion back in 2008, according to WaPo.
Former supermodel Janice Dickinson has filed a suit against Cosby, accusing him of defamation. He could also be forced to stand trial for assault claims made by Judy Huth, a California woman who accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her when she was still a minor.
