In a lawsuit filed on Monday, a former employee of the NYPD Transit Bureau accused Mayor Eric Adams of sexually assaulting her more than three decades ago.
Florida resident Lorna Beach-Mathura alleges that Adams exposed himself to her in 1993 after she sought his help with an employment issue. At the time, Adams worked as a transit officer and was a leader in the agency’s Guardians Association, a fraternal organization for Black employees that Beach-Mathura also belonged to. The NYPD and the Guardians Association are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
On Monday, Adams denied the claims made in the lawsuit through his legal counsel. “While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in court,” Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the city’s corporation counsel said in a statement.
In the suit, Beach-Mathura states that when she was hired at the Transit Bureau as an administrative aide, she was one of the few Black women there who were civilian employees, not police officers. She claims that she experienced significant amounts of racial discrimination and sexism in the role. After being passed over for several promotions she felt she was qualified for, Beach-Mathura claims that she reached out to Adams, who had been outspoken about discrimination on the force, for his assistance. Adams reportedly agreed and offered to drive her home to Coney Island to discuss her situation.
Beach-Mathura alleges that Adams picked her up that evening and drove her to a vacant lot by the Hudson River, where he parked, saying he “wanted to concentrate” on what she had to say. After she explained her situation, she claims Adams offered to assist her, but said he “also needed some help” and “began rubbing his penis through his clothes with his hand.”
The filing continues: “He told her that he ‘needed a blowjob’ from her. While repeatedly cajoling, demanding, and begging Plaintiff for oral sex, Defendant Adams unzipped his pants and pulled out his erect penis.”
Beach-Mathura claims Adams then grabbed her hand and placed it on his penis, telling her to “Give [him] a handjob.” She recalled feeling terrified, but said she pulled her hand away and repeatedly denied his advances, saying “No!” According to her account, Adams continued to masturbate, eventually leaving semen on both her stocking and thigh. He then allegedly dropped Beach-Mathura off at the nearby Chambers Street subway station.
Though she did not submit a formal complaint against Adams, Beach-Mathura states that she told friends, a former boss, and her two now-adult daughters about the assault. She said she “greatly feared further retaliation” if she had reported Adams at the time.
Megan Goddard, the lawyer representing Beach-Mathura, said in a statement that she was “proud” to file the complaint on her client’s behalf. “She knew that filing this lawsuit would cause her significant personal challenges but she did so nevertheless, because she believes sexual abusers must be held to account, no matter who they are,” she said.
In November 2023, Beach-Mathura filed a civil summons under the state’s Adult Survivors Act shortly before it was set to expire. The legislation allowed survivors of sexual assault to file claims against their abusers beyond the statute of limitations within a one-year period. It was reported that the then-unidentified plaintiff was seeking $5 million in damages.
Though that first filing contained minimal detail, Adams strongly denied the allegation at the time. “It absolutely did not happen. I don’t recall ever meeting this person,” he said, per the Daily News. “I would never harm anyone in that magnitude. It did not happen.”
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Eric Adams Accused of Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit
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18.03.2024
In a lawsuit filed on Monday, a former employee of the NYPD Transit Bureau accused Mayor Eric Adams of sexually assaulting her more than three decades ago.
Florida resident Lorna Beach-Mathura alleges that Adams exposed himself to her in 1993 after she sought his help with an employment issue. At the time, Adams worked as a transit officer and was a leader in the agency’s Guardians Association, a fraternal organization for Black employees that Beach-Mathura also belonged to. The NYPD and the Guardians Association are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
On Monday, Adams denied the claims made in the lawsuit through his legal counsel. “While we review the complaint, the mayor fully denies these outrageous allegations and the events described here; we expect full vindication in court,” Sylvia Hinds-Radix, the city’s corporation counsel said in a statement.
In the suit, Beach-Mathura states that when she was hired at the Transit Bureau as........
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