New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman who worked with him in 1993, according to a legal summons filed in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The woman, who said in the filing that she worked for the city at the time of the alleged assault, is seeking at least $5 million in damages.
She said she experienced sexual assault, battery, employment gender discrimination, retaliation, a hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the summons.
A City Hall spokesperson rejected the allegations, saying Adams does not recall meeting the accuser.
“The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn’t recall it,” the spokesperson said. “But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”
The allegations against Adams were labeled as timely in the legal document because the summons was filed two days before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which has led to lawsuits against high-profile figures such as former President Donald Trump, hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx.
The law gives adult sexual assault survivors one year to sue regardless of when the original statute of limitations expired.
Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial and ordered to pay $5 million. Combs reached a settlement in a lawsuit the singer Cassie filed accusing him of rape and abuse. And representatives for Foxx did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attorney representing Adams’ accuser did not respond to requests for comment.
The city, the New York Transit Police Department, the New York Police Department Guardians Association and three other unknown entities are listed alongside Adams in the filing, which does not outline specific allegations against them.
NBC News has reached out to the police department and the association for comment.
