Larry King 'unequivocally' denies groping allegation

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Larry King.

• Larry King denied a groping allegation made against him by Terry Richard, the ex-wife of singer Eddie Fisher, to The Daily Mail.
• Richard told the outlet that King groped her on two occasions, in 2005 and 2006.
• King denied the allegations as "unequivocally false and defamatory" in a statement sent from his lawyers to the Mail.

Larry King has denied a groping allegation made against him by Terry Richard, the ex-wife of singer Eddie Fisher.

On Monday, Richard, who was married to the late singer Eddie Fisher from 1975 to 1976, told The Daily Mail that the former CNN host groped her once in 2005 and again in 2006, with both alleged incidents occurring at a photo shoot for a baseball awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

The Daily Mail reported that Richard "said in the first incident, while posing together for a photo, King slid his hand down her backless dress and rested his fingers in between her butt cheeks." Regarding the second incident, the outlet reported, "Richard claims the second time was also while they were taking a photo together, and King, now 84, squeezed her butt so hard that it left a large bruise."

Richard told the outlet, "Larry King is a groper. He groped me twice. He gets a thrill doing this in front of the camera, knowing I couldn't do anything."

Days before the outlet published Richard's account, an attorney for King sent a denial statement to The Daily Mail, in which King's lawyers called Richard's allegations "unequivocally false and defamatory."

The statement, which has since been obtained in full by People, reads as follows:

"We represent Larry King. I am informed that you intend to publish a statement by a woman named Terry Richards that, 10 or more years ago, Mr. King supposedly 'groped' her at one or more baseball dinners. That assertion is entirely and unequivocally false and defamatory. Mr. King did no such thing then or ever. Your publishing this false and defamatory statement will be actionable and highly damaging."

King's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.