On Monday (March 18), Mayor Eric Adams was accused of sexual assault by a former New York City employee who worked for the municipal transit police bureau in 1993. Lorna Beach-Mathura filed a 26-page legal complaint in a Manhattan state court, alleging that the assault occurred in Adams’ car after he offered her a ride home to discuss her professional concerns. Mathura stated that she went to Adams for assistance in navigating a career problem and a hostile workplace environment because of his role at the time as a police department officer and leader in the NYPD Guardians Association, a fraternal group advocating for equality and fair treatment of Black employees.
“I don’t recall ever meeting this person: Eric Adams
The Democratic leader has flatly denied the charges, claiming through his lawyers that he does not even recall meeting the woman. According to the lawsuit, Adams consented to assist the woman but admitted he “also needed some help.” Then Adams allegedly sought oral sex from Lorna Beach-Mathura. When she declined, Adams allegedly exposed himself and masturbated. “Adams preyed on her perceived vulnerability, demanding a quid pro quo sexual favor,” according to the complaint, “revealing himself not to be the ‘Guardian’ he purported to be, but a predator.” The complaint was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which extended the statute of limitations for sexual assault lawsuits. The woman originally submitted her claim in November, just before the law’s deadline, without providing any specifics about the purported assault.
A spokesperson for Adams provided a statement attributed to the city’s corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, which described the allegations as “ludicrous.” “While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here,” the statement read. “We expect full vindication in court.” “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,” he added.
