NYC Mayor Adams accused of sexual assault by former colleague in 1993
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaking in city hall on March 4. Photo: Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Eric Adams in 1993 said he would help a colleague with her career before requesting oral sex, according to a new complaint filed against him on Monday.
The big picture: The complaint is part of a lawsuit originally filed against Adams in November under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which created a one-year window to sue over sexual assault claims regardless of the date of the allegation. Adams has denied the allegation.
- The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages and names the New York City Police Department and several other organizations as defendants.
What's inside: Monday's complaint claims Adams, who was a leader in the Transit Bureau at the time, said he would assist the plaintiff with an employment issue, only to instead "drive her to a vacant lot and request oral sex from her."
- When she refused, it alleges that he forced her to touch his penis, masturbated in front of her when she removed her hand and ejaculated on her.
What they're saying: It said the plaintiff, a Black woman who worked for Transit Bureau, had asked Adams for help because she had been passed over for promotions because of her race.
- "She asked Defendant Adams for help because he had held himself out to be an advocate for equality and fair treatment for Black employees," the complaint reads.
- "The effects of that sexual assault, betrayal, and astonishing abuse of power, continue to haunt Plaintiff to this day," it says.
New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix said in a statement on Monday that Adams denies the "outrageous" allegations and the events described in the complaint.
- "We expect full vindication in court," Hinds-Radix said. "Additionally, in 1993, Eric Adams was one of the most prominent public opponents of the racism within the NYPD, which is why the suit's allegations that he had any sway over promotions of civilian employees is ludicrous."
Zoom out: Adams is also under federal investigation in what appears to be a corruption probe into campaign fundraising.
- FBI agents seized his electronic devices late last year as part of the probe.
- The FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating whether his 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations, according to the New York Times.
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