Third Kevin Clash Accuser Comes Forward, Sues Puppeteer For Underage Sex

A third accuser has come forward in the Kevin Clash scandal, claiming that the former Sesame Street puppeteer had sexual contact with him when he was underage.

The man, now 29, is listed as John Doe in his lawsuit, in which he alleges that he was 16 years old when he met Clash on a gay chat line in 2000, according to the New York Daily News.

The aspiring model from New Jersey says in his suit that Clash invited him to his New York apartment that was covered with Elmo paraphernalia and gave him excessive amount of alcohol before coercing him into sexual activity.

"Kevin Clash gave John [Doe] alcohol and groomed him. ... This was John's first sexual experience of this type," the lawsuit reads. It adds that the two "engaged in sexual contact including oral sex.” The man is suing for an unspecified amount.

The man’s lawyer, Jeff Herman, said that Clash used the name Craig on the chat line and claimed to be 30 years old. It wasn’t until the man went to Clash’s apartment that he discovered he was much older.

Nevertheless, the man continued a relationship with Clash when he turned 18 and graduated from high school, having moved to New York to further pursue his modeling career. He says he discovered that Clash was the famous Elmo puppeteer around this time.

According to Herman, the man began writing a book detailing his relations with Clash in 2009 and that excerpts of the book would be revealed at a press conference Tuesday.

Clash continues to deny any of the accusations.

“Mr. Clash believes this lawsuit has no merit,” said a spokeswoman for the puppeteer.

Last week, after 24-year-old Cecil Singleton filed a $5 million lawsuit claiming that the two had sexual contact when Singleton was 15.

The first allegation came a week prior, when Sheldon Stephens came forward, claiming that he had sex with Clash when he was 16.

Clash has since resigned from his position with the Sesame Workshop, which he held for 28 years.

"Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street," the Sesame Workshop said in a statement.