Sex assault case against Mayor Eric Adams is 'fictitious' and won't be settled, attorney says
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The sexual assault case against New York Mayor Eric Adams is "fictitious" and will not be settled, his lawyer vowed Friday, prompting the plaintiff's attorney to threaten him with a defamation lawsuit.
Adams was working for the NYPD in the early 1990s when another employee in the Transit Bureau, Lorna Beach, said he sexually harassed her. Adams has denied the accusation and has denied knowing Beach.
During a virtual hearing, when Judge Richard Latin suggested the case could settle, defense attorney Alex Spiro said he doesn't settle "fictitious" cases.
"I am shocked that he would say that!" an attorney for Beach, Megan Goddard, shot back, calling Spiro's remark "wild gas lighting."
She suggested the remark could be the basis for a defamation lawsuit "and I will bring one against him for saying that," Goddard threatened.
The hearing was meant to resolve a dispute over evidence. The defense has accused the plaintiff of failing to turn over the identities of the individuals Beach said she told about the alleged assault, descriptions of the interactions she said she had with Adams or the date of the alleged assault.
"Plaintiff has continued to exhibit a pattern of delay and obfuscation apparently designed to avoid having this case proceed towards a resolution on the merits," Spiro said.
"We're not trying to hide anything," Goddard responded. "My client does not know the exact date. I'm not going to pretend that she does."
Judge Latin decided the defense can depose Beach on September 6.
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