In 2012, the Sesame Street star puppeteer of Elmo, Kevin Clash, was embroiled in a 5 million dollar lawsuit where he was accused of having sex with several plaintiffs while they were under aged.
The lawsuit brought by the plaintiffs and the allegations of sexual abuse forced Clash to resign from his job at Sesame Street where he had been the voice of Elmo since 1985. Initially the first accuser remained unidentified, but later his identity was revealed as Sheldon Stephens.
The first of several young men to name the former voice behind Elmo as a sexual predator is now claiming Kevin Clash baited him into an x-rated affair fueled by crystal meth.
Sheldon Stephens, 24, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Emmy award-winning “Sesame Street” puppeteer, accusing Clash of plying him with drugs during sex when he was just 16.
Though Sheldon lived in Pennsylvania, Clash would send a chauffeur to his residence to transport the young man to New York for sex.
A second accuser was named by the New York Daily News :
Cecil Singleton is the second person to accuse Emmy award-winning puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with a minor, saying that the two had an encounter when Singleton was 15 years old.
Puppeteer Kevin Clash, the longtime voice of “Elmo,” resigned Tuesday after a $5 million lawsuit labeled him a pedophile who trolled telephone chat rooms in a hunt for underage lovers.
Clash, 52, “was an unmarried adult male living a prominent public life centered around the entertainment of toddlers, while at the same time he was, in secret, preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests,” charged the Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.
The New York Daily News article goes into detail about how Singleton and Clash met on a gay chatline, went on numerous dates and had a passionate relationship. Singleton claims that Clash was fully aware that he was then still in high school. He also claims that Clash inflicted injury upon him.
The plaintiff “suffered severe injuries, including but not limited to mental, psychological and emotional trauma,” the suit charged. “These injuries are continuing and (of a) permanent nature.”
It goes without saying that these allegations were deeply disturbing for the programmers at Sesame Street and the public at large.
In 2013, a New York City Judge dismissed the case citing that the claims were filed too late and the statute of limitations had run out.
"Kevin is pleased by the judge's decision," his attorney, Michael G. Berger, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "As we have maintained all along, our goal has been to put these spurious claims behind him so that Kevin can go about the business of re-claiming his personal life and his professional standing, which was recently recognized once again by the three Emmys he won last month."
Berger added: "The judge's decision to dismiss and close the three lawsuits is an important step in that direction. Kevin is looking forward to a time in the near future when he can tell his story free of innuendo and false claims."
Note: at this point i haven't been able to determine if Mr.Clash returned to work at Sesame Street or not. Will update.