A woman who’s accusing Mayor Adams in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting her over three decades ago recently filed papers identifying “more than” 50 people who allegedly have “personal knowledge” about her claims — but the mayor’s lawyer argues her information is overly vague and wants a judge to order she provide more specifics.
Adams’ accuser, Lorna Beach-Mathura, divulged the identities of the individuals in question last month in filings made as part of the discovery process in her lawsuit against the mayor, according to a letter filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday by Alex Spiro, a high-profile attorney retained to represent Adams in the case.
Spiro’s letter says her filing alleges those she named “generally have personal knowledge” about her accusation that Adams sexually assaulted her in 1993 while they were both working for the city’s since-defunct Transit Police Department — a claim he vehemently denies. In his filing, Spiro also wrote Beach-Mathura has provided the names of “a list of individuals” she says she spoke directly with about the alleged assault.
However, Spiro wrote in the letter that the information Beach-Mathura has provided is “deficient” for several reasons. For instance, he said Beach-Mathura hasn’t identified “a date or approximate date” in 1993 on which she “claims to have told three individuals” directly about the alleged assault.
“This omitted information is highly relevant,” Spiro wrote, arguing he suspects Beach-Mathura isn’t providing those details because she’s “trying to backfill the details of her story.”
Spiro does acknowledge in his letter that Beach-Mathura “identified approximate dates (month and year)” for when she told other individuals later on about the alleged assault.
Still, Spiro wrote Beach-Mathura must furnish more information about details surrounding the alleged assault and requested that Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Richard Latin schedule a hearing on the matter to require her to do so.
Beach-Mathura’s lawyer, Megan Goddard, declined to comment Wednesday. Spiro didn’t respond to emailed questions, but Lisa Zornberg, Adams’ chief counsel at City Hall, said in a statement that Beach-Mathura “has provided very little information in response to multiple requests, and we are now seeking appropriate relief from the court.”
Beach-Mathura first filed a notice of claim in November notifying Adams she was suing him and the city for at least $5 million under the Adult Survivors Act, which opened up a one-year window for sexual misconduct victims to sue their perpetrators even if statutes of limitations had expired.
Beach-Mathura, an ex-Transit Police administrative employee, filed a lawsuit in March alleging that Adams tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in his car in 1993 after meeting with him to talk about a work issue. Beyond denying the accusation, Adams has said he doesn’t recall ever meeting Beach-Mathura.
Spiro, a celebrity attorney known for representing Elon Musk and Jay-Z, was retained by the city as Adams’ attorney in the case this spring after the city Law Department said it needed his help in representing the mayor to ensure the agency can “maximize its existing resources on our numerous other matters.” The city’s working along with Spiro on the case.
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