One day after details were revealed about a new lawsuit by a Florida woman alleging Mayor Eric Adams sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, Adams denied the claim during his weekly media availability Tuesday morning.
“This did not happen. This did not happen. I don’t recall ever meeting this person in my time in the police department,” Adams said, before taking questions from reporters. “Back in '93, many of you know, those who have followed me, I was one of the most outspoken voices for fighting not only police abuse, but also for the rights of people. My life has been dedicated and committed to that. I’m sorry that Tracy and Jordan, my family, is going through this right now, but I have been very clear on fighting for rights on behalf of women and I’m going to continue to do that.”
Lorna Beach-Mathura, who at the time worked in the NYPD's Transit Bureau as an aide, made the allegations late last year. She formally filed a court case against the mayor on Monday.
In the lawsuit, she claims she had asked Adams to help her get a promotion within the Transit Bureau, as he was a member of a Black fraternal police organization known as the Guardians Association.
According to the lawsuit, Adams drove her to a vacant lot in Manhattan and demanded she perform a sexual act. When she said no, according to the lawsuit, Adams forced her to touch him, then allegedly touched himself in front of her.
“My life has been a clear, open book for almost 40 years now,” Adams added. “I have been one of the most public faces in the city and I have always carried myself with a level of dignity that New Yorkers expect from me.”
The city's corporation counsel issued a statement on Monday denying the claims, saying the mayor expects to be fully vindicated in court.
“While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in court. 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 statement reads.
Mayor Adams, at his question-and-answer session at City Hall, refused to respond to any specific details in the case.
“He is not going to be answering specifics of the complaint,” Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix said at the briefing.
His defensive tone was matched by others in his administration. Lisa Zornberg, City Hall’s chief counsel, invoked her own family while speaking out about the allegations.
“I’m the mother of both a son and a daughter. And I feel with the exact same passion that just as no woman and no girl should ever be the subject of sexual violence, no man and no boy should ever be the subject of false accusations,” Zornberg said.
Meanwhile, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams called the allegations “serious.”
“It’s really important that they are fully reviewed, and it’s really important that due process is allowed,” City Council Speaker Adams said at an unrelated news briefing.