Elmo Accuser Again Drops Sex Claims Against Clash In New York Court

Former voice of Elmo on Sesame Street Kevin Clash has been the subject of on-again, off-again underage sex claims, and an Elmo accuser has dropped his complaint against the puppeteer for allegedly having relations with him before he was of legal age to consent.

The Elmo accuser identified only as “D.O.” in court documents moved Monday to voluntarily dismiss his sexual abuse claims in US District Court in southern New York. What that means is that, while Clash’s alleged victim is opting not to move forward legally right now, a “without prejudice” dismissal leaves the claim open for the man to pursue at a later date if he so desires.

It is not entirely clear what specifically the claims were, as several other accusers made the claim Clash induced them to engage in sexual behavior before they were 18. According to the Chicago Tribune, D.O.’s claim stemmed from a later date when he may have been older than other accusers at the time of the alleged incidents:

“According to court documents obtained by TheWrap, D.O., now 29, claimed that he began having sex with Clash in 2009… On March 1, Berger filed a motion to dismiss the claims brought by D.O., as well as plaintiffs identified as Cecil Singleton and S.M., claiming that any alleged sexual contact would fall outside the statute of limitations.”

After the first Elmo accuser emerged, made claims, and recanted them, Clash attempted to retain his position as the voice of Elmo and prominent feature of Sesame Workshop, the overall entity of which Sesame Street is a part.

However, soon several more young men made similar claims against the Elmo puppeteer, who was eventually forced to step down and leave Sesame Street for good. A lawyer for Clash maintains the puppeteer’s innocence in the claims and refutes the allegations of all four to five Elmo accusers.