Kevin Clash, the puppeteer who provides the voice of Elmo on "Sesame Street," resigned Tuesday after a man filed a lawsuit accusing him of conducting an underage sexual relationship. The lawsuit was filed in a New York court Tuesday, a week after another accuser recanted his claim that Clash, now 52, engaged him in underage sex. "I am resigning from Sesame Workshop with a very heavy heart," Clash said in a written statement Tuesday. "I have loved every day of my 28 years working for this exceptional organization. Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately."
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"Kevin Clash preyed on vulnerable teenage boys," the accuser's lawyer says
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"I am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately," Clash says
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Suit claims Clash "persuaded, induced, coerced or enticed" a 15-year-old into sex encounters
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It was filed a week after another accuser recanted a similar claim
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