NYC Mayor Adams vows to not be distracted by sex assault claim, says city lawyers will address it: ‘Stuff happens’

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams vehemently denied accusations Tuesday that he sexually assaulted a coworker in his car decades ago and vowed to not be distracted by the shocking claim — as his administration’s top attorney defended using city government attorneys to represent the mayor in the matter.

In his first public remarks since the ex-Transit Police Department co-worker, Lorna Beach-Mathura, filed a lawsuit against him over the sex assault allegations, Adams said in an afternoon briefing he’s saddened by the impact the accusations are having on his family.

“This did not happen. It’s not who I am … I know my character, and I’m extremely disappointed that Tracey and Jordan are going through this,” he said at City Hall, referring to his girlfriend Tracey Collins and adult son Jordan Coleman.

While repeatedly denying the alleged assault took place, Adams was more circumspect about whether he has ever met Beach-Mathura, saying only he could “not recall” meeting her.

“Stuff happens, you know, and you better be ready to have a motto that you can live by, like ‘stay focused, no distractions, and grind,'” he said when asked if he’s concerned the assault accusation could distract him from his official duties.

“The legal team will handle the other aspects of this stuff,” he added, referring to the city Law Department, which is expected to represent him in the Manhattan Supreme Court case brought by Beach-Mathura.

The Law Department’s decision to represent Adams has raised some hackles, including from City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, the Democratic chairwoman of the Council’s Oversight and Investigations Committee, which has the power to probe the use of city resources.

“This needs scrutiny,” Brewer wrote on X in November after Adams first revealed he planned to let the Law Department represent him against Beach-Mathura. At the time, Beach-Mathura had filed a brief court notice alerting the mayor she planned to sue him for sexual assault, without revealing any details about the accusation.

Reached Tuesday, Brewer declined to comment beyond her November post.

Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the city corporation counsel who leads the Law Department, joined the mayor for Tuesday’s briefing and confirmed city taxpayers are expected to pick up the tab for the mayor’s legal representation in the sexual assault case.

“The mayor is not getting any special treatment, he is being treated the way he’s entitled to, and that’s why there’s representation here,” Hinds-Radix said.

Hinds-Radix said Adams is entitled to Law Department representation because of a local rule that holds city employees can get city lawyers to do their bidding in court if the alleged wrongdoing “occurred while the employee was acting within the scope of his public employment.”

In her lawsuit filed Monday, Beach-Mathura alleges Adams was on duty as a cop when he exposed himself to her in his car in 1993 and demanded she perform oral sex on him in exchange for helping her with getting a promotion in the Transit Police Department. After she refused, Beach-Mathura’s suit claims Adams forced her hand onto his erect penis before he ejaculated on her leg.

The rule that allows municipal employees to be represented by city attorneys also says the Law Department can deny representation if a worker was “in violation of any rule or regulation of his agency” at the time of the alleged wrongdoing.

The Law Department has declined to represent other city police officers accused of committing sexual misconduct while on the job. When asked what’s different about the mayor’s case, Hinds-Radix would only say her agency made the “determination” that he’s entitled to representation.

“There’s a process that we use with reference to how we make this evaluation. We made the same evaluation in this case, and we will stick to our position,” Hinds-Radix said.

Megan Goddard, Beach-Mathura’s attorney, did not return a request for comment on the latest remarks from the mayor and Hinds-Radix. Beach-Mathura is seeking $5 million in damages as part of her suit.

At a press conference held shortly after the mayor’s briefing, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams described the allegations against him as “very serious” and said “it’s really important that they’re fully reviewed.”

Asked whether she believes it’s appropriate for the mayor to receive Law Department representation, the speaker said: “We’re going to review all of this in relation to the law and details of the civil lawsuit.”

In addition to Adams, Beach-Mathura has named the NYPD and the Guardians Association, a Black police officers’ group Adams used to lead, as defendants in her suit. Her suit claims the Guardians and the NYPD, which absorbed the Transit Police Department after it dissolved in 1995, should also be on the hook because they “enabled” the mayor and discriminated against her on the basis of race.

Beach-Mathura lives in Florida, having left city government service in 1994.

She has a history of filing lawsuits for a range of reasons, including claiming she was assaulted by students while working as a public school teacher in Miami. That lawsuit was dismissed without damages paid out to Beach-Mathura.

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