A former female transit bureau employee sued New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday, accusing him of seeking a sexual favor from the victim in 1993 in exchange for endorsing her for a promotion.
The defendant, Lorna Beach-Mathura, recalled in an interview with The New York Post how she asked for Adams’ help to advance her career as she was passed off for being a black woman. Adams was the head of the Transit Bureau NYPD Guardians Association then.
The plaintiff filed her lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act and is seeking $5 million for damages.
According to her filing in Manhattan Supreme Court, “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.”
According to Beach-Mathura, Adams agreed to help her and offered her a ride home, but instead drove “her to a vacant lot and requested oral sex from her.”
The victim refused, so Adams put her hand on his genitals.
When she removed her hand from Adams, he allegedly “masturbated and ejaculated on her,” as per the papers.
The New York City Mayor vehemently denied knowing the victim and, through his spokesperson, called the allegations “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.”
The victim first made her case last November, just before the law expired, but did not provide further details on the assault.
“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.”
Beach-Mathura did not file a complaint against Adams at the time because she thought there “was no way to safely report” the assault, according to the court filing.
She also accused Adams of retaliation, using his influence to transfer her to another department.
“The effects of that sexual assault, betrayal, and astonishing abuse of power, continue to haunt [Beach-Mathura] to this day,” the court filing reads.
Meanwhile, the New York City government confirmed on Tuesday that it will defend Adams in the lawsuit, and the corporation counsel, Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, will represent him.
