Bill Cosby has hit back against some of the dozens of women who have accused him of sexual assault.
The world-famous comedian, actor countersued seven women who'd sued him for defamation, saying they actually defamed him.
"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," Monique Pressley, Cosby's attorney, told USA TODAY in a statement.
The 78-year-old, actor was claiming emotional distress against seven women Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. He claimed the allegations of drugging and then sexually assaulting them was absolutely untrue.
The counterclaim said the seven women made accusations after the actor signed a contract in early 2014 for a new family comedy with NBC and also expected to sign a contract with Netflix.
Traitz, Serignese and Green first filed in December of last year, and the other four women joined their suit last month.
"If anyone is surprised by Cosby's actions today, they shouldn't be," the attorney for the seven women, Joseph Cammarata, said in a statement obtained by E! News.
"He's taken a page out of the defense attorney's playbook in an effort to shift the focus of this legitimate inquiry."
In October, a judge declined to throw out another suit against Cosby filed by Judith Huth, who accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when she was 15.
Media companies such as Netflix and NBC also cancelled plans to develop television projects with Billy Cosby.
The defamation lawsuit and counterclaim were filed in U.S. District Court for the western district of Massachusetts.
