Mayor “vigorously denies” allegations in $5 million lawsuit, filed before Thursday’s deadline for the Adult Survivors Act
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed late Wednesday stemming from an alleged incident that occurred in 1993, when Adams was a member of the New York Police Department.
The summons preceding the $5 million lawsuit was filed before Thursday’s deadline for the Adult Survivors Act, which witnessed a wave of sexual assault lawsuits filed Wednesday before the one-year window — which allowed for legal action for cases otherwise barred by statute of limitations — closed.
The three-page summons did not detail the accusations against Adams other than stating “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 NYPD’s transit bureau and Guardian Association were listed as co-defendants.
A spokesperson for Adams said Thursday (via the Messenger), “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 accuser’s attorney Megan Goddard said in a statement (via the Guardian), “Goddard Law is thankful for the Adult Survivors Act, which has given so many women the opportunity to seek justice. We are immensely proud of our clients and all the women who are seeking justice under the ASA. We are also thankful that the legislature may be considering reopening the window because so many victims of sexual assault are only finding out about the ASA now.”
The lawsuit against Adams is one of an influx of last-minute filings ahead of the Adult Survivor Act’s deadline, which also saw legal action against Axl Rose, Jimmy Iovine, and Jamie Foxx; a similarly timed lawsuit filed by Cassie against Sean “Diddy” Combs was quickly settled.