New York City Mayor Eric Adams has denied allegations of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993 when they both worked for the city.
Mr. Adams has been named as one of the defendants in a lawsuit filed late Wednesday by the accuser, who is seeking at least $5 million in damages.
The New York state court summons filed against Mr. Adams, a former police officer, did not offer specific details about what happened, saying only that, “the nature of this action is sexual assault, battery, and employment discrimination on the basis of Plaintiff’s gender and sex, retaliation, hostile work environment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
The summons also names as defendants the city of New York, the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) transit bureau, the NYPD’s Guardians Association (a fraternal organization that represents black officers), along with three unknown entities.
‘Absolutely Did Not Happen’: Adams
Mr. Adams denied the allegations in remarks to CBS, telling the outlet that the claims made against him by the accuser “absolutely did not happen” and that he doesn’t even know her.“I don’t even recall who this person is, I never recall even meeting them,” Mr. Adams said. “I’ve spent my life protecting people, I’ve spent my life giving back, and I’m going to continue to do that. There’s a lot going on in the city, and I’m focused on making sure that it’s done. But this absolutely never happened, and it’s just unfortunate.”
Earlier, a City Hall spokesperson released a statement to media outlets denying the allegations.
“The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim,” the spokesperson said.
The accusation against Mr. Adams was among a number of complaints filed this week against public figures under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows lawsuits like the one against him to be filed in court even if the statutes of limitations have run out.
A special one-year window for filing such complaints runs out on Nov. 24. Alleged victims have, in recent days, filed lawsuits against famous male celebrities, including rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, actor Jamie Foxx, and Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose.
Some saw the accusation against Mr. Adams as suspicious and sought to portray it as potentially political given his public criticism of President Joe Biden as New York faces an unprecedented illegal immigration crisis.
Other Legal Troubles
On Nov. 6, the FBI searched Mr. Adams’ electronic devices as part of a probe that focuses on campaign fundraising and an alleged role in the opening of a new Turkish consulate building.Federal authorities are reportedly investigating if back in 2021, Mr. Adams, acting as Brooklyn borough president and fresh off his win in the Democratic primary, was approached by Turkish officials for help in opening the new Turkish Consulate on Manhattan’s East Side.
Mr. Adams said in a Nov. 12 statement to reporters that any contact he may have with then Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro about the Turkish Consulate was only part of his “basic duties as the borough president.”
He added that he was cooperating with the probe and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
“As a borough president, part of my routine role was to notify government agencies of issues on behalf of constituents and constituencies,” Mr. Adams said.
“I have not been accused of wrongdoing and I will continue to cooperate with investigators.”
