A Miami attorney filed another lawsuit Monday against ex-Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash, alleging he had sex with a teenage boy visiting him in New York.
The lawsuit is the third filed by South Florida attorney Jeff Herman and the fourth against Clash.
The newest child sex abuse claim alleges Clash paid for a 16- or 17-year-old boy to visit him in New York. It says Clash met the teen while visiting Miami Beach in late 1995 or early 1996, complimented him on his appearance and then befriended him.
After keeping in frequent contact via phone, Clash then paid for the boy’s plane ticket, and offered to be his “dad” in New York and provide him with money and a place to stay, the complaint alleges.
When the unidentified boy flew to Clash’s New York apartment, the two had sexual contact on multiple occasions, according to the complaint. Clash also told the boy that he had difficulty performing sexually due to a medical condition, the complaint said.
Herman said the boy was looking for employment and contemplating running away during the time he connected with the former puppeteer.
The suit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, seeks all available damages. The plaintiff is a resident of Florida, it says.
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"The lawsuit is without merit and we will vigorously defend the case and Mr. Clash’s reputation," Clash's attorney, Michael Berger, said in a statement Monday.
Clash, who played Elmo for almost 30 years, took a leave of absence and later resigned following earlier sex allegations.
Another lawsuit filed against him alleges that he and an underage boy engaged in “sexual contact” in Clash’s apartment, which was filled with “numerous Elmo dolls” and photographs of Elmo with "famous people like Beyonce and Tyra Banks."
A spokesman for Clash said in a statement to NBC News that that lawsuit “has no merit.”
Clash was also sued for engaging in sexual activity with minor Cecil Singleton, who claims he was 15 when he had inappropriate contact with the children's television star.
Clash clarified in a subsequent press conference that although the two engaged in sexual activity, they did not have sex until Singleton was of legal age.
