Bill Cosby hit with a defamation lawsuit

A woman who has accused Bill Cosby of raping her in the 1970s has filed a defamation lawsuit in Massachusetts against the comedian, alleging he "publicly branded" her a liar when his lawyer called her claims "absolutely false."

Tamara Green says in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Springfield on Wednesday that Cosby drugged and raped her when she was an aspiring model. Green first spoke publicly about the alleged rape in 2005.

Green says after she did media interviews earlier this year, Cosby's lawyer and publicist both made statements intended to expose her to public contempt and ridicule.

The attorney, Walter M. Phillips Jr., couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Messages left for the publicist, David Brokaw, weren't immediately returned.

Cosby, who has a home in Shelburne Falls in western Massachusetts, is the lawsuit's only defendant.

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of setbacks for Cosby after multiple women have come forward claiming Cosby, now 77, sexually assaulted them decades ago. Since then, several stand-up gigs have been canceled. His upcoming TV series was scrapped, too. Last week, Cosby's Hollywood Walk of Fame star was vandalized. And he's stepped down as a member of the board of trustees at Temple University.