Taxpayers to Fund Mayor Adams' Defense in Assault Lawsuit

Photo byKelly SikkemaonUnsplash

The legal defense of Mayor Eric Adams against charges of sexual assault is being bankrolled by taxpayers. The mayor will be defended by the New York City Law Department against a highly detailed lawsuit originating from his employment as a transit police officer thirty years ago.

Speaking on Tuesday, a day after the Manhattan Supreme Court complaint was filed, Adams vehemently refuted claims that he coerced a former colleague into performing a sex act in exchange for his assistance with her career.

The mayor is not planning to hire private lawyers for his defense.

“He’s not going to be answering specifics of the complaint,” said the city’s corporation counsel, Sylvia Hinds-Radix.

In response to questions from reporters, Hinds-Radix admitted that while city attorneys have a duty to defend workers of the transit bureau that eventually combined with the NYPD, they also have the authority to choose which cases to take on.

“The corporation counsel has, based on the law and the charter, the ability to evaluate and make the determination,” she said. “We get that question if a police officer is accused of having done something.”

Under the state's Adult Survivors Act, Adams, the city of New York, the NYPD's transit department, the Guardians Association, and three other unidentified entities are being sued in this lawsuit.

State law mandates that the city shall defend its employees against allegations “within the scope of his public employment and in the discharge of his duties.”

The mayor maintains his innocence, stating, “That is not who I am. I want to be very clear: Never happened,” he said. “I don’t even know who the person is. I don’t even remember if I ever met them before.”