Bill Cosby drops defamation countersuit against 7 accusers

American comedian Bill Cosby dropped his defamation countersuit against seven women who accused him of sexually assaulting them.

The court documents filed on Friday showed that the four-year defamation case in Massachusetts is now settled. Cosby's insurer had settled with the women last month for an undisclosed sum.

Cosby reportedly said his insurer did so without the comedian's knowledge or consent, reported Fox News.

The 81-year-old comedian objected to the settlement and said that he wanted to pursue his counterclaims. However, spokesman Andrew Wyatt on Friday said that Cosby dropped the suit to "focus on other matters," reported US Weekly.

The women involved in the defamation case include Tamara Green, Barbara Bowman, and Therese Serignese. Lawyer Joe Cammarata said his clients believe they are "truth tellers". He had planned to take Cosby's deposition if he pursued his countersuit.

The 81-year-old comedian is currently serving a three-to-ten-year sentence in Montgomery County, Maryland, for drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. Cosby is also appealing his conviction.

Cosby's sentence came after a lengthy trial where he faced accusations from former Temple University employee Andrea Constand and was eventually found guilty. He was found to have drugged and raped her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. Since then, multiple women came forward against 'The Cosby Show' star.

The first part of the hearings focused on the prosecution's efforts to label Cosby as a sexually violent predator.

Cosby's trial was heralded as the first major celebrity trial of the #MeToo movement, and the first to result in a conviction.