New York Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault in 1993

A woman on Wednesday accused New York Mayor Eric Adams of sexual assault and other offences in a court filing, alleging they occurred in 1993 while both of them worked for the city of New York.

A spokesperson for Adams denied the claim and said the mayor does not know the accuser and does not recall meeting her.

The accusation against Adams was one in a flurry of complaints filed this week against public figures under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, ahead of the expiry of a special one-year window for such complaints. The law allows such lawsuits to be filed in court even if the statutes of limitations have run out.

The New York state court summons filed against Adams, a former police officer, did not offer specific details about what happened but said: “The nature of this action is sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination on the basis of plaintiff’s gender and sex, retaliation, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

The summons, filed late on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, seeks at least US$5 million in damages and also names the city of New York, the New York Police Department’s transit bureau, the department’s Guardians Association, a fraternal organisation representing black officers, and three unknown entities as defendants.

The police department and the Guardians Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

“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,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a email.

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The allegation comes as Adams faces other legal trouble.

The FBI on November 6 searched Adams’ electronic devices as part of an investigation into what The New York Times reported was the possible acceptance by Adams’ 2021 campaign of illegal donations including by the Turkish government.

Adams’ lawyer said that the mayor was cooperating with an investigation but did not say what it was about.