New York City Mayor Eric Adams is now embroiled in another legal controversy. On Thursday, a report revealed that he is facing a civil sexual assault lawsuit from an alleged incident that occurred in 1993.
The claim, which was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, will likely add to the legal drama in which Adams finds himself after facing an investigation into his relationship with Turkey. An exclusive report from The Messenger revealed the lawsuit.
Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexual assault in a legal action filed Wednesday night in a New York court, The Messenger has learned.
The plaintiff in the case, a woman whose name is being withheld by The Messenger due to the nature of the allegation, filed a summons Wednesday night in state Supreme Court in Manhattan under the Adult Survivors Act that names the Big Apple Democrat as a defendant.
The filing also names the transit bureau of the New York Police Department and the Guardian Association of the NYPD as defendants.
“Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York,” the summons alleges.
In New York civil court, a plaintiff can file a summons with notice to begin a legal action — followed by a full complaint laying out the claims.
The summons is just three pages and does not reveal any detail about the alleged assault.
Mayor Adams has denied the allegations. Through a spokesperson, he said he did not recall ever meeting the plaintiff and insisted he would never commit such an act.
The mayor, through a spokesperson, denied knowing the plaintiff, whose name was being withheld by POLITICO.
“If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. “But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”
Later, Adams stressed the same points to reporters.
“It absolutely did not happen. I don’t recall ever meeting this person. And I would never harm anyone in that magnitude. It did not happen,” Adams said. “It’s going to go its course; it’s going take its process. But it did not happen. And that is not who I am, and that’s who I have never been in my professional life.”
The plaintiff, whose identity has been concealed, is seeking at least $5 million in damages. The suit alleges “intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses.”
This suit is part of a broader trend of high-profile individuals being sued under the Adult Survivors Act, which was also used against former President Donald Trump. The act presents a significant shift in how sexual assault cases can be pursued, allowing survivors to seek justice even years after the incident took place.
This case, as with the others under this law, could open a Pandora’s box of legal and ethical discussions. With Adams’ denial and a lack of detailed information available to the public, opinions on the matter will vary. However, more information will likely emerge, which could potentially spell doom for the mayor’s political career if the allegations prove credible.