NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Mayor Eric Adams, in response to a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a former colleague in 1993, denied the allegations on Tuesday, stating, "This did not happen."
The accuser, Lorna Beach-Mathura, had first filed a notice of claim in November 2023 under the Adult Survivors Act, a special New York law that created a year-long suspension of the usual time limit to sue over an alleged sexual assault.
Lorna Beach-Mathura v. Eric Adams by David Caplan on Scribd
"I've been extremely clear, this did not happen," Adams, now 63, said during a press conference. "It's not who I am," he added, referring to the lawsuit.
Adams allegedly claimed he would help Beach-Mathura with an employment issue but instead drove her to a vacant lot and "requested oral sex from her," according to the lawsuit. When she refused, Adams allegedly forcibly pushed Beach-Mathura's hand onto his erect penis, and then, after she removed her hand, masturbated himself to completion and ejaculated on her.
"There are people in this room that have been following me for years," Adams said. "I'm not talking about five years, I'm talking about 35-40 years. They know my character. I know my characters."
"While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in court," New York City Corporation Counsel Hon. Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix told 1010 WINS. "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."
"I'm sorry that Tracy and Jordan, my family is going through this right now," Adam said. "But I have been very clear on fighting on the rights of women and I'm going to continue to do that."
Beach-Mathura accuses Adams of battery, sexual assault, gender discrimination, retaliation, infliction of emotional distress, and sexual harassment.
The Adult Survivors Act cleared the way for a wave of lawsuits against famous men accused of sexual misconduct, with a slew of cases coming in the final weeks before it was set to expire.
The filing comes as Adams has been dogged by an FBI investigation into his 2021 campaign that prompted agents to seize his phones and raid the home of his chief campaign fundraiser.
Part of the investigation involves examining whether Adams allegedly inappropriately tried to help the government of Turkey get city approval to open a 35-story skyscraper housing diplomatic facilities in 2021, despite concerns about the tower's fire safety systems.
Adams has sidestepped questions about the FBI investigation but has maintained he did nothing wrong.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
