Bill Cosby counter-sues women who accused him of sexual assault

Comedian Bill Cosby is to counter-sue a number of women who alleged he sexually assaulted them.

In the lawsuit filed in Springfield, Massachusetts, the former Cosby Show star accused seven women of defaming his "honourable legacy and reputation" after they alleged he had plied them with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing them.

More than 50 women have come forward with allegations about the actor, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has never been criminally charged.

Many of the incidents were alleged to have taken place decades ago, so the statute of limitations for prosecution has run out.

In the counter-suit, Mr Cosby's lawyers wrote: "Relying solely on unsubstantiated accusations, counterclaim defendants have engaged in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby's reputation and character by willfully, maliciously, and falsely accusing Mr. Cosby of multi-decade-old purported sexual misconduct."

It also alleges that the claims were made at an "opportunistic" time, when news of "Mr Cosby's television resurgence" in a new NBC comedy show was announced.

Mr Cosby's countersuit to the lawsuits - which charged him with libel, assault and slander - seeks unspecified financial damages from the seven women who brought it: Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents several women to have sued him - though not those included in the Massachusetts case - said: "Bill Cosby appears to be going to war against women who have sued him in Massachusetts and who allege that he has victimized them."

"Such a tactic will not deter courageous women from fighting the battle against him," she added.

Court documents released in July as part of a separate legal proceeding showed that Cosby had previously testified that he obtained the sedative drug Quaaludes with the intention to give them to young women in order to have sex with them.

Read: Thirty-five alleged Bill Cosby victims speak out in magazine