Bill Cosby’s lawyer calls ‘decade-old’ sex assault claims ‘discredited’

Amid a swirling controversy of sexual-assault allegations that have recently resurfaced, the lawyer for embattled sitcom legend Bill Cosby went on the attack over the weekend.

Cosby, the 77-year-old former star of “The Cosby Show” and “I Spy,” has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault that allegedly occurred around the time of his hit NBC sitcom in the mid-1980s. Last week, the Washington Post featured a first-person story by a woman who claimed Cosby had drugged and raped her in 1985, when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress.

Cosby recently has maintained public silence over the accusations, but Sunday his lawyer, John P. Schmitt, issued the following statement: “Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have surfaced.

“The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true,” the statement continued. “Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work.

“There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives,” the statement concluded.

Whether the statement will quell the growing scrutiny of Cosby and his past remains to be seen.

But the uproar could jeopardize the comic’s new NBC comedy project, which the network has said is “still in very early development.”

Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT