New York Mayor Eric Adams is accused, in a complaint revealed Thursday by the American press, of having sexually assaulted a woman 30 years ago, facts that the former police officer “vigorously” denies.
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The plaintiff “was sexually assaulted by Eric Adams” in New York in 1993 “while both worked for the City of New York” – the current mayor was then a police officer – according to the complaint cited by The Messenger and the New York Post .
The document, which is three pages long and which was filed Wednesday evening a few hours before an important deadline, does not give further details on the alleged facts, according to The Messenger.
“The mayor does not know who this person is,” responded a spokesperson for Eric Adams. “If they actually met, he doesn’t remember it. But he would never do anything that would not physically harm anyone, and he vigorously denies this assertion,” he added.
The plaintiff, whose name has not been revealed, is seeking a trial and $5 million in damages, according to The Messenger.
Aged 63, Eric Adams has been mayor of New York for two years, the second African-American to lead the megacity. Coming from a poor family, he experienced delinquency before becoming a police officer, creating a union to fight racism and then finally entering politics as an elected Democrat.
He recently had his phones seized by the federal police (FBI) as part of an investigation into illegal financing of an electoral campaign, with the press citing suspicions of corruption by Turkey.
The complaint against him comes the day after the revelation of two other similar files. The leader of the rock group Guns N’ Roses Axl Rose and the American actor Jamie Foxx were targeted on Wednesday by complaints of sexual assault years ago in New York.
All of these civil legal actions are made possible by a New York State law which, since November 2022, and until the deadline of Thursday, the Thanksgiving holiday, has allowed victims of sexual violence to file civil complaints. for prescribed criminal or misdemeanor acts.
This local legislation — Adult Survivors Act — has allowed many plaintiffs to take civil action against their alleged sexual attackers, often high-profile figures.
Last week, rapper Puff Daddy, real name Sean Combs, was the subject of a complaint for rape by his ex-partner, singer Cassie (Casandra Ventura), before both parties announced an amicable agreement.
Sean Combs was, however, targeted by a second complaint on Thursday in a separate case, the American press reported.
In May, former President Donald Trump was ordered to pay five million dollars in damages to former newspaper columnist E. Jean Carroll for a sexual assault in 1996.
