Kevin Clash, former Elmo puppeteer, sees sex abuse suits dismissed

The U.S. Court of Appeals has dismissed sex abuse suits against Kevin Clash, the puppeteer best known as the voice of Sesame Street's Elmo.

The appeals court concurred with a previous ruling from July 2013, agreeing with a lower court's decision to dismiss the lawsuits.

In late 2012, three individuals accused 53-year-old Clash of sexually abusing them more than 10 years ago, while they were minors.

After the allegations emerged, the Emmy-winning Sesame Workshop puppeteer who had voiced the high-pitched, fuzzy red character Elmo for 28 years and been featured in the hit 2011 documentary Being Elmo resigned from his job.

"I am resigning from Sesame Workshop with a very heavy heart. 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," he said at the time.

Clash also denied any wrongdoing and stated that any past relationships he had were between consenting adults.

Last July, a judge in New York ruled that the three claims fell out of the state's statute of limitations. The plaintiffs subsequently brought their cases up to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The appeal court's decision, made April 2, said the plaintiffs failed to provide any reason why they were unable to discover their injuries prior to 2012.

A separate lawsuit, filed in Pennsylvania by Clash's first public accuser in 2013, is pending.