Bill Cosby is now trying to take his accusers to court.
The comedian and former sitcom star's legal camp has countersued seven of the women who have publicly accused him of sexual assault, alleging in a claim filed today in federal court that the ladies have "engaged in a campaign to assassinate Mr. Cosby's reputation and character" with their false accusations.
"Despite the recent barrage of unsubstantiated accusations, Mr. Cosby has never been criminally charged nor found liable by any Court for any sexual misconduct."
The lawsuit further alleges that the women waited until after he had a sitcom deal in the works last year to come forward with their claims.
Three of the women listed in Cosby's suit—Tamara Green, Therese Serignese and Linda Traitz—originally sued Cosby for defamation in Massachusetts in December 2014 and the remaining defendants—Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie—joined the suit earlier this year.
A judge threw out Cosby's previous attempt to get the women's suit dismissed.
"If anyone is surprised by Cosby's actions today, they shouldn't be," the defendants' attorney Joseph Cammarata, who has been representing the seven in their suit against the comedian, said in a statement obtained by E! News. "He's taken a page out of the the defense attorney's playbook in an effort to shift the focus of this legitimate inquiry. It is curious that he has filed a claim only against these seven women, when there are scores of other women who have made similar allegations of sexual abuse and assault against Mr. Cosby. My clients remain resolute in their desire to have their day in court, sooner rather than later, and they each expect that their good name and reputation will be restored."
Janice Dickinson has also filed a defamation suit against Cosby.
California-based attorney Gloria Allred, who represents some of the other women who have accused the former Cosby Show star of committing acts of sexual assault against them in decades past, suggested that, while she doesn't represent these seven, she's confident this strategy won't have its desired effect.
"Bill Cosby appears to be going to war against women who have sued him in Massachusetts and who allege that he has victimized them," Allred said in a statement given to E!. "Although I do not represent the women in that case, I do believe that in general that such a tactic will not deter courageous women from fighting the battle against him."
The comedian's lawyer, Monique Pressley, reiterated the counterclaim's intent in a statement released by her law firm saying that Cosby wanted to put an end to the defendants' "morally repugnant conduct."
He is seeking damages on claims of defamation, invasion of privacy (false light), intentional infliction of emotional distress and other torts.
Six of the seven women were featured in the July 27-Aug. 9 issue of New York magazine whose cover pictured 35 of the more than 50 women who have accused Cosby of some degree of sexual assault.
Judd Apatow has been one of Bill Cosby's most outspoken celebrity critics