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15 YEARS OLD.
IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT MONEY
FOR ME.
>> KEVIN CLASH HAS RESIGNED AS
THE VOICE OF ELMO ON "SESAME
STREET."
LET'S BRING IN JANET JOHNSON TO
TALK MORE ABOUT THIS CASE.
FIRST OFF PEOPLE HEAR THIS AND
THEY HEAR SOME OF THESE ACCOUNTS
FROM NOW ALLEGED VICTIMS ONE,
TWO, AND THREE.
COULD ANY CRIMINAL CHARGES COME
DOWN THE PIKE FOR KEVIN CLASH?
>> THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN POGT.
BUT THESE GUYS WAITED A LITTLE
TOO LONG.
THEY HAD UNTIL THEIR 21st
BIRTHDAY AND ALL THESE MEN SEEM
TO BE 24.
BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO STAND
OW -- THESE GUYS ARE OUTSIDE THE
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS TO DO.
>> SO THEY'RE GOING WITH A CIVIL
LAWSUIT.
WHAT IS MOST DAMMING FROM WHAT
YOU HEAR?
IS KEVIN CLASH IN SOME TROUBLE?
BECAUSE YOU HEAR THIS AND NUMBER
THREE, KNOWN AS JOHN DOE
BASICALLY USES THE TERMS GROOMED
HIM.
HE JUST WANTED TO MEET FRIENDS,
HE DIDN'T WANT ANY ***
ACTIVITY WITH ANYBODY AND THEN
KEVIN CLASH IS GROOMING HIM,
GIVING HIM ALCOHOL AND THINGS
LIKE THAT.
HOW DAMAGING IS THAT IN A SUIT?
>> HE WAS IN A UNIQUE POSITION
WHERE HIS JOB WAS ABOUT CHILDREN
AND OBVIOUSLY -- IN TERMS OF
WHETHER THIS SUIT WAS VIABLE,
THERE'S SOME STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS, IS THAT HE'S SAYING
WHAT LAWYERS HAVE TOLD HIM TO
SAY IN SOME RESPECTS AND THOSE
ARE ALL THE HOT SPOTS THAT HE
HAS TO HIT.
THE FLIP SIDE IS MR. CLASH'S
LAWYERS ARE GOING TO SAY WHAT
TOOK YOU SEVEN YEARS?
IF YOU WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT
OTHER CHILDREN, WHY DIDN'T YOU
SPEAK UP?
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THE
HARDEST PART.
AND $5 MILLION TO SAY I DON'T
NEED THE MONEY, MOST PEOPLE NEED
$5 MILLION.
>> HOW DOES THAT GO IN A CIVIL
CASE.
VICTIMS WILL SAY THEY NEEDED THE
TIME TO PROCESS AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
>> AND THERE ARE SOME FEDERAL
STATUTES THAT ACTUALLY HOLD THE
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IF THE
MEMORY IS SOMETHING THAT YOU
REPRESSED, THAT YOU RECOVERED IN
THERAPY.
A LAWYER WILL TELL YOU YOU NEED
TO GO ALL THAT TO SHOW THAT YOU
HAVE PSYCHIATRIC DAMAGES AND
EXPLAIN WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG.
SO OBVIOUSLY NO ONE WANTS TO
BELITTLE THE PAIN THAT GOES WITH
THIS SORT OF PROCESS.
AND THE SYMBOL OF SORT OF LOVING
YOUR TORMENTER, WHICH I THINK
THIS GENTLEMAN HAS SAID, I HAD
FEELINGS FOR HIM.
THERE'S BOOKS BEING WRITTEN, AND
THAT LOOKS LIKE DOLLAR SIGNS TO
A POTENTIAL JUROR.
>> THE GENTLEMAN WE HEARD THERE,
CECIL SINGLETON TALKED ABOUT
BEING VULNERABLE BECAUSE OF
KEVIN CLASH'S POSITION, HE'S THE
VOICE OF ELMO, HE'S A STAR SO TO
SPEAK.
>> WE SAW THAT IN THE MICHAEL
JACKSON CASE AND BERNIE FINE,
AND NOTHING HAPPENED TO BERNIE
FINE OTHER THAN HE LOST HIS JOB.
MAYBE THERE'S A NUISANCE VALUE
THAT MR. CLASH'S LAWYERS WILL
ASSIGN TO IT.