11:41 am - 11/20/2012
Kevin Clash -- known as the voice of Elmo -- is facing NEW allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a SECOND underage boy ... TMZ has learned.
The accuser -- who is now in his 30s -- has filed a lawsuit against Clash ... claiming the two met on a gay phone chat line back in 1993 ... when the accuser was 15 years old and Clash was 32.
Among the allegations, Singleton claims, "[Clash] trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys."
In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in NYC, Singleton claims Clash "groomed [the accuser] to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money."
Singleton claims while Clash was featured on "Sesame Street," he was "preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests."
In the suit, Singleton claims ... although the sex occurred nearly 20 years ago, he didn't take action until now because ... he "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012."
Singleton is demanding more than $5 million.
We broke the story, Clash struck a settlement with a previous accuser who initially claimed he had a sexual relationship with Kevin beginning when he was 16 years old. As part of the settlement, the accuser issued a statement recanting his claims.
Source
Voice of Elmo NEW LAWSUIT Allegations of Sex with SECOND Underage Boy
Kevin Clash -- known as the voice of Elmo -- is facing NEW allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a SECOND underage boy ... TMZ has learned.
The accuser -- who is now in his 30s -- has filed a lawsuit against Clash ... claiming the two met on a gay phone chat line back in 1993 ... when the accuser was 15 years old and Clash was 32.
Among the allegations, Singleton claims, "[Clash] trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys."
In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in NYC, Singleton claims Clash "groomed [the accuser] to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money."
Singleton claims while Clash was featured on "Sesame Street," he was "preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests."
In the suit, Singleton claims ... although the sex occurred nearly 20 years ago, he didn't take action until now because ... he "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012."
Singleton is demanding more than $5 million.
We broke the story, Clash struck a settlement with a previous accuser who initially claimed he had a sexual relationship with Kevin beginning when he was 16 years old. As part of the settlement, the accuser issued a statement recanting his claims.
Source
I call bullshit.
But it's iffy to claim Clash went to those group phone lines specifically to hunt down underage boys. He'd have to know in advance that underage boys would be in those chats and I would think that revealing you're underage would get you kicked from one (though that's a guess).
It's far more likely that Clash met up with someone, realized they were underage, and pursued them anyway. Which I hope I don't have to explain I think is predatory and wrong. But it's not what the accuser claimed. I can believe Clash did something wrong, but I think the lawyer that wrote the lawsuit has hyperbole'd himself into a corner.
I take find it highly objectionable that you would use time as a reason not to believe someone's story. A lot of abuse victims take years to come to terms with their abuse, to find people who are supportive of them and to consider whether even to stand up to their abusers.
i think this is the bit that does it for me.