News

New York City Mayor Eric Adams denies sexual assault allegations

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a colleague in 1993. 

According to a legal summons filed Wednesday, the plaintiff alleges Adams sexually assaulted her when they were employees for the City of New York. 

The three-page filing, first reported by The Messenger, also named the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) transit bureau and the Guardians Association of the NYPD as defendants in the lawsuit, according to The Associated Press. 

“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 reads.

The lawsuit is seeking a trial into the matter and $5 million in relief, according to the AP.

In a statement, a City Hall spokesperson told The Hill the mayor “vigorously denies” the allegations against him. 

“The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it,” the spokesperson said. “But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”

The lawsuit against Adams, 63, is the latest one filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a state law that allows people who say they were victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits after the statute of limitations has expired. 

The state law, which expires Friday, also saw victims file lawsuits against famous male celebrities, including rapper and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose and comedian Bill Cosby. 

Adams, who started as a city police officer before entering politics, had his electronic devices seized by the FBI last week amid an ongoing federal investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign fundraising. 

Adams has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. 

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated: 1:09 p.m. ET