New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a vacant parking lot in 1993.
In a lawsuit filed on Monday in Manhattan, the alleged victim claims that Adams agreed to help her with a promotion at the police department — but drove her to a vacant parking lot and requested oral sex in return.
The accuser's attorney, Megan Goddard, asked the Associated Press not to publish her name.
ABC News reports:According to the suit, the woman was seeking a promotion in the city’s Transit Police Department when she sought help from Adams, then a police officer and high-ranking member of the Guardians Association, a fraternal organization that advocates for Black members of law enforcement.
The lawsuit says that he offered to drive her home from work and then drove to a vacant lot, where he offered to help her, but said he “also needed some help.” She said that while while sitting in the parked car, Adams demanded oral sex.
After she refused, she said he exposed himself and masturbated, according to the lawsuit. Adams then said he had to get back to work, and dropped her at a Manhattan subway station, according to the suit.
“Adams preyed on her perceived vulnerability, demanding a quid pro quo sexual favor,” the lawsuit claims, “revealing himself not to be the ‘Guardian’ he purported to be, but a predator.”
The city’s corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, told ABC News that the allegations are “ludicrous.”
“While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here,” the statement said. “We expect full vindication in court.”
The case was brought under the Adult Survivors Act, which extended the statute of limitations for sexual assault lawsuits for a limited time.
The alleged victim first made the claim against Adams in November, just before the law expired. However, she did not provide any details about the incident.
At the time, Adams vehemently denied the claims or having ever met his accuser.
“I don’t recall ever meeting this person and I would never harm anyone in that magnitude,” Adams said during a press conference after the allegations were made. “It did not happen, and that is not who I am and that is not who I’ve ever been in my professional life and, you know, it’s just something that never took place.”
