NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams pushed back Monday against newly detailed sexual assault allegations stemming from his time as a transit cop.
Lorna Beach-Mathura, whose career at the New York City Transit Police Department overlapped with the mayor’s, filed a complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday alleging Adams sought to extract sexual favors from her in exchange for career advice one evening in 1993.
“While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in court,” the mayor’s corporation counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, said in a statement, following news of a suit regarding an alleged incident 31 years ago. “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.”
The complaint is far more detailed than an initial legal claim Beach-Mathura filed in November under the state Adult Survivors Act, which allows civil lawsuits over certain sexual offenses that would otherwise be barred by statute of limitations.
In the new paperwork, she describes approaching Adams — who at the time was a prominent member of the NYPD Guardians Association, a fraternal organization of Black officers — for guidance after she felt she was passed over for several promotions.
Beach-Mathura, who like Adams was among the small share of Black employees in the agency (which was later merged with the NYPD), said Adams offered to give her a ride home one evening and discuss her predicament. Instead, the complaint alleges, Adams drove to a vacant lot on the Hudson River and demanded Beach-Mathura perform a sex act in exchange for his advice.
He exposed himself, the complaint alleges, begged her to perform oral sex and placed her hand on his genitals. And when she refused, according to the court document, Adams masturbated in front of her and then dropped her off at the nearest subway station.
Megan Goddard, Beach-Mathura’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, or to make the unnamed people that Beach-Mathura claims to have told about the assault available to talk.
Beach-Mathura is requesting a jury trial. In addition to Adams, she is suing the city, the NYPD and the Guardians Association.
When the initial court papers were filed just before Thanksgiving last year, Adams unequivocally denied any wrongdoing and said he didn’t even recall meeting the woman.
His chief counsel in City Hall, Lisa Zornberg, went further, questioning the accuser’s credibility at a wide-ranging press conference.
“All we have is a bare, undetailed summons filed by a person who, according to public records and in her own words, is so litigious that she’s written a book on how to file lawsuits, telling people to follow her lead because quote you just may win,” Zornberg said in November.
Public records show the woman has filed numerous lawsuits, on a variety of issues with little record of success, as POLITICO has previously reported.
Adams initially avoided much political blowback for the case, even from political opponents, given the lack of detail and his swift denial. But that appears to be changing with the new filing.
“The details of this suit are disturbing,” said state Sen. Jessica Ramos, a progressive who is considering challenging Adams’ reelection in 2025, in a statement provided to POLITICO. “I want to commend Ms. Beach-Mathura for her bravery in coming forward. Sharing these painful memories and demanding accountability takes a lot of courage. I hope this is quickly resolved so the city can return its focus to reversing its budget cuts and delivering services to New York’s working families.”
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