Kevin Clash, the former Elmo puppeteer, has been cleared of sexual abuse charges.
The 53-year-old, who voiced the famed Muppet for decades, resigned from “Sesame Street” in 2012 after multiple men accused him of sexual abuse more than a decade earlier.
Earlier this month the U.S. Court of Appeals threw out three of the cases, agreeing with a New York judge’s ruling from last year.
“The case was dismissed because of the statute of limitations. There is no ruling on the merits,” the plaintiffs’ attorney Jeff Herman told People. “The case against Clash on behalf of Sheldon Stephens is pending.” Herman is currently representing, Michael Egan, the 31-year-old man who’s accused director Bryan Singer and three other Hollywood figures of sexually abusing him when he was still a minor.
Stephens, 25, was the first man to come forward with allegations against Clash, claiming that the puppeteer had abused him when he was 16. He soon recanted his story, saying that the relationship was consensual, but filed a suit in Pennsylvania after other victims came public.