Sex Lawsuits Against Ex-Elmo Puppeteer Thrown Out
A New York judge has tossed out three lawsuits filed by men who alleged that former Elmo actor Kevin Clash sexually abused them when they were underage.
U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl said in a decision published Monday that the claims came more than six years after each man reasonably should have become aware of Clash's alleged violations, and over three years after each had turned 18.
Clash, 52, resigned from Sesame Street last November after college student Cecil Singleton sued him for more than $5 million and accused the puppeteer of having sex with him when he was 15. Clash explained at the time that he was leaving the job because "personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing."
Singleton's lawsuit was among those thrown out Monday, and there is still one other lawsuit pending in Pennsylvania against Clash -- who portrayed the popular furry red monster for 28 years.