Adams, Cuomo accused of sexual harassment under expiring law
(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman three decades ago under a now-expired state law.
A woman has filed a claim against Adams on Friday alleging that he sexually assaulted her when he was working as a New York City transit cop nearly 30 years ago. She is seeking $5 million.
“[The] plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York,” a lawyer for the woman wrote in a state Supreme Court filing.
Adams denied the allegations, telling reporters the alleged assault “absolutely did not happen” and that he didn’t recall meeting the woman who accused him.
“That is not who I am, and that is not who I’ve ever been in my professional life,” the mayor told a Fox News outlet. “It’s just something that never took place.”
The summons also names the New York City police department’s transit bureau and the New York City Police Department’s Guardians Association as defendants.
Under the law, Adams has 20 days to respond to the summons and will eventually need to appear before a judge to answer the claims.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act into law in 2022, allowing a one-year window for people who claim they were sexually assaulted when they were over the age of 18 to file lawsuits against abusers, regardless of when the abuse occurred. That law expired on Friday.
More than 2,500 lawsuits have been filed under the law, which has been used against other high-profile defendants in sexual harassment claims, including former Republican President Donald Trump and comedian Bill Cosby.
Former New York mayor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who stepped down amid similar claims of sexual misconduct, is also among those hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit under the one-year window to file claims.
Cuomo’s former aide Brittany Commisso publicly accused him of groping her in 2020 and filed a criminal complaint against him a year later. It was rejected by the courts because there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed. She has filed a new claim under the Adult Survivor’s Act.
Cuomo, a Democrat rumored to be considering a run for New York City mayor, has repeatedly denied Commisso’s allegations.
For Adams, the allegations of sexual misconduct come as he wrestles with a budget crisis that has prompted deep cuts to city services and an FBI investigation into illegal donations to his gubernatorial campaign.
