New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking forward to the day the "entirely fictitious" sexual assault lawsuit against him is brought to court, his attorneys said in a new court filing.
In the answer filed Tuesday to last month's complaint, Adams' defense attorneys said their client denies "each and every" allegation Lorna Beach-Mathura brought forth in her suit and that he expects "complete vindication." They also asked for the complaint to be dismissed in its entirety and that Adams and other defendants be granted relief for fees incurred so far in the case.
Beach-Mathura sued Adams, New York City and the NYPD on claims the now-mayor sexually assaulted her in 1993 while they were both working for the department's Transit Bureau.
In the complaint, the Florida resident claims she went to Adams for help after being repeatedly passed over for promotions. Then after offering to drive her home to discuss her future, Adams instead pulled into a vacant lot, demanded oral sex from her and exposed himself, the suit alleges.
The plaintiff claims she didn't formally report the alleged incident at the time out of fear of exacerbating her work problems, stating that it was a time of intense discrimination and retaliatory behavior against those who complained.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams sued for alleged sexual assault of ex-colleague
A legal complaint filed Monday alleges Adams demanded sexual favors in exchange for helping a former colleague get a promotion.
"Instead of helping plaintiff get fair treatment at Defendant Transit Bureau, defendant Adams preyed on her perceived vulnerability, demanding a quid pro quo sexual favor and sexually assaulting plaintiff, revealing himself not to be the 'Guardian' he purported to be, but a predator," the complaint states, referring to the NYPD's Guardians Association, a fraternal organization formed to fight for Black employees, which Adams led at the time.
Beach-Mathura's case was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a now-expired New York law that extended the window in which sexual assault survivors could take legal action.
Since her initial notice of claim was filed last year, Adams has vehemently denied the allegations, saying then that he doesn't know the woman and that the sexual assault "absolutely did not happen."
"I don't recall ever meeting this person, and I would never harm anyone in that magnitude," Adams said last fall. "It did not happen, and that is not who I am and that is not who I've ever been in my professional life. And, you know, it's just something that never took place."
Adams is being represented by Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix — Corporation Counsel for NYC — and Alex Spiro, who has previously represented high-profile people like Elon Musk and Jay-Z. Spiro's typical rate is above $2,000 an hour, but Politico and ABC News report he's only charging Adams and the city around $200 per hour.
