Retired lawyer sues Bill Cosby, says claims she lied about alleged sexual assault were defamatory
Bill Cosby performs at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, in September 2014. Image from Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com.
A retired lawyer who for years has claimed Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her decades ago has now filed a defamation suit against the famous comedian.
By repeatedly describing her claims that he drugged and groped her at one point during the 1970s as lies, Cosby has damaged her reputation, plaintiff Tamara Green says in the suit. It was filed Wednesday in federal court in Massachusetts, the New York Daily News and TMZ reported.
“He called me a wrecking ball, but he never sued me for defamation,” Green told the Daily News last week, referring to comments by a lawyer for Cosby, who contended that Green’s claims were “absolutely false.”
If indeed no assault occurred, “My statements against him were actionable,” Green said of Cosby, adding: “He didn’t open that can of worms because my statements were true.”
She is represented in the lawsuit by attorney Joseph Cammarata. In the late 1990s, he represented Paula Jones in a sexual harassment suit against President Bill Clinton.
Representatives for Cosby did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TMZ.
An earlier People magazine article provides more details about Green and her claims.
Related coverage:
Newsweek: “Tamara Green Talks About Bill Cosby”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Civil suit accuses Bill Cosby of sexual battery of 15-year-old girl at Playboy Mansion in 1974”
ABAJournal.com: “Bill Cosby seeks sanctions against plaintiff in sexual battery suit and her lawyer”
Vulture: “A Timeline of the Abuse Charges Against Bill Cosby “
