Mayor Adams denies sexually assaulting a colleague in 1993

Mayor Eric Adams strongly denied that he sexually assaulted a colleague in 1993 after asking her for a sexual favor. He said Tuesday that a former colleague’s accusation was completely false.

“This did not happen – it did not happen,” Mr Adams said in his first comments since the detailed allegations emerged in a legal claim filed on Monday. “I don’t remember ever meeting this person during my time in law enforcement.”

The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court as part of the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed people to file lawsuits over sexual assault that may have occurred years ago.

A woman alleged that Mr. Adams asked her for oral sex in exchange for career help when they worked together at the Transit Police Department in New York City. When she refused, he forced her to touch his penis and ejaculated on her, the complaint said.

At his weekly news conference, it didn’t take long for Mr. Adams to bring up the allegations, bringing them up before he was asked about them.

He reiterated his motto – “stay focused, no distractions and drudgery” – and said he has always conducted himself “with a level of dignity” that New Yorkers expect.

“I know how I live my life,” the mayor said, adding, “I have been an extremely respectable public person.”

Asked how he could prevent the charges from ending his political career, Mr. Adams said New Yorkers would make their own decision about the charges. He said he was focused on running the city and was confident he would have a strong legacy.

The lawsuit is the latest legal complication facing Mr. Adams as he prepares for his re-election next year. In November, FBI agents searched the home of his top fundraiser and seized Mr. Adams’ electronic devices as part of an investigation into whether his campaign conspired with the Turkish government to accept illegal foreign donations.

Mr. Adams, a Democrat, said he was sorry that his partner, Tracey Collins, and his son, Jordan Coleman, were “going through this” and that Ms. Collins had encouraged him to be disciplined and “not allow your emotions are getting in the way.”

City counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, who is representing the mayor in the lawsuit, interrupted the news conference at least twice to say that she and the mayor were not responding to details in the lawsuit and that she would prefer indicate that Mr. Adams does not give his opinion on the matter.

The lawsuit stated that the plaintiff, an administrative assistant with the Transit Police Department, asked Mr. Adams for help after she was passed over for a promotion. Mr. Adams drove her to a vacant lot and asked for a “quid pro quo sexual favor” before “forcibly” pushing her hand onto his penis, according to the 26-page complaint.

The plaintiff felt particularly anxious because she believed that Mr. Adams, as a police officer, had a loaded gun in the car, the complaint said.

“The consequences of this assault, betrayal and astonishing abuse of power continue to haunt Plaintiff to this day,” the complaint said.

On Tuesday, Mr. Adams was careful not to question the plaintiff’s credibility. But the mayor’s office sent statements Monday evening from four women who criticized the lawsuit and raised questions about previous lawsuits filed by the plaintiff.

Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, a frequently cited supporter of the mayor, cited her background as a lawyer in forming her view that the lawsuit had no merit.

“As an attorney who has devoted a significant portion of her career to class action lawsuits on behalf of women who experience discrimination in the workplace,” said Ms. Rajkumar, “I know that the American legal system faces a significant number of frivolous lawsuits. like these.”

After Tuesday’s press conference, the mayor’s office sent two more statements, including one from Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference, who said that “the outrageous claims against him cannot possibly be true,” adding that “he has the full support of me and many others.”

Mr Adams said he was “inundated” with calls with messages of support on Monday and thanked the women for their support. The mayor’s office has said it was appropriate for Ms. Hinds-Radix to represent Mr. Adams because the case involved his time as a city employee, although some have done so. expressed concerns about the arrangement.