3rd Man Claims Abuse By Ex-Elmo Puppeteer
NEW YORK (AP) – A Florida man has sued the ex-Elmo puppeteer who resigned amid a sex scandal, saying the voice actor met him in New York after trolling gay telephone chat lines seeking underage boys for sex.
The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages was filed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday by a man who remains anonymous.
The man says he met Kevin Clash on a chat line when he was 16 years old in 2000 and exploring modeling opportunities in New York.
The lawsuit says Clash had numerous Elmo dolls in his apartment when he met the teen for sex. The man, now 29, is the third to make claims against Clash, who resigned from “Sesame Street” last week after 28 years.
A spokeswoman says Clash “believes this lawsuit has no merit.”
Comments (2)
Joanne McDonald says:
November 27, 2012 at 3:50 pm
I urge all fans of Sesame Street to boycott Sesame Street entirely right now in response to Kevin Clash allegations of being in a sexual relationship. Please do not buy any Sesame Street related merchandise in the future including DVD’s, toys, books, bedding sets, and others and avoid watching Sesame Street entirely right now. No more watching Elmo, Big Bird, Oscar Grouch, Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Abby, Rosita, Zoe because of the sexual scandal with Kevin Clash.
Maria Laing says:
November 27, 2012 at 4:44 pm
James, please take a more rational approach. If someone in your office was accused (not convicted, not even charged) of sexually abusing minors do you think it would be right for all your customers to boycott your firm? Sesame Street and its related companies are neither the guilty party nor an enabler of illicit behavior. SS and related companies were Clash’s employer. Is that too much to comprehend?