Adams’ sex assault lawsuit faces delays due to Hurricane Sandy damage to his NYPD personnel file, according to attorneys.
In a significant development concerning the civil sexual assault lawsuit against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, his legal team has announced complications in producing the mayor’s NYPD employment records. According to attorneys representing Adams, these records were destroyed due to extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy, which struck the region over a decade ago.
Former Transit Police administrative aide Lorna Beach-Mathura is pursuing the lawsuit, filed in March 2024, in Manhattan Supreme Court. She asserts that the requested personnel file is critical to confirming that she and Adams were employed at the same police command in Brooklyn during the timeline of her allegations, which date back to 1993. These allegations, which Adams categorically denies, claim that he forced her into a sexual act under coercive circumstances.
In a letter dated May 15, legal representatives from the Adams administration informed Beach-Mathura’s attorneys that with the exception of a personnel assignment record, all physical personnel records linked to Eric Adams had been irretrievably lost in the flooding incident that affected the Kingsland Avenue warehouse in Brooklyn. Reports following Hurricane Sandy indicated that the facility suffered considerable damage, leading to the contamination and loss of police records.
Critically, Beach-Mathura’s attorney, Megan Goddard, expressed skepticism regarding the timing of this disclosure. She noted that her team was taken aback to learn, nearly 11 months after their initial request, that the absence of records was attributed to the 2012 hurricane. Goddard pointed out that this explanation had not arisen during prior communications, raising concerns about possible obstructions in the discovery process.
The lawsuit seeks a minimum of million in damages, with Beach-Mathura alleging that during a car ride with Adams, he made non-consensual sexual advances toward her. Adams has consistently denied the accusations, claiming he does not remember ever meeting Beach-Mathura.
In a related motion, Beach-Mathura has accused both Adams and the New York Police Department of “willful obstruction” of discovery, citing a lack of cooperation in providing requested documents. She has urged the court to schedule a discovery conference to resolve these issues.
Earlier reports indicated that Beach-Mathura, now residing in Florida, has filed for personal bankruptcy as she continues her legal battle against the mayor and other parties connected to the case, including the NYPD and a police department fraternal organization that Adams previously led. The unfolding situation raises significant questions regarding both the legal implications of the case and the accountability mechanisms within city law enforcement.
As the lawsuit continues to progress in the courts, it highlights the intersection of public service, legal accountability, and the enduring impacts of past events such as Hurricane Sandy on institutional records and transparency.
