Mayor Eric Adams wants a judge to dismiss the sexual harassment lawsuit against him because his accuser missed deposition dates.
Hizzoner’s legal team accused plaintiff Lorna Beach-Mathura of engaging in “misconduct” over the missed grilling dates, the most recent one being Sept. 6.
Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro, also is asking the judge to make her pay for all of the defense’s legal fees.
“New York courts have consistently found that a complaint should be dismissed where a plaintiff fails to appear for court-ordered depositions,” Spiro said in a court filing submitted Monday to Manhattan state Supreme Court Judge Richard Latin.
“In the nearly ten months since plaintiff initiated this lawsuit, she has refused to appear for her deposition on four separate occasions, and each time without any justification under the law,” the lawyer wrote.
“Plaintiff’s unjustified, months-long refusal to provide deposition testimony—including in direct
defiance of this Court’s Orders—warrants dismissal standing alone.”
Spiro said Beach-Mathura has “frustrated” efforts by Adams and other defendants — including the NYPD and Guardians’ Association — to obtain written and documentary discovery.
“This willful misconduct has caused defendants significant prejudice because they have been unable to obtain even basic discovery from plaintiff in the more than nine months since she filed this lawsuit,” Spiro wrote.
The legal skirmish comes as the Adams’ administration is engulfed in a sweeping federal corruption and influence-peddling probe targeting top brass of the NYPD.
It included raids last week at the homes of top mayoral appointees including Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, his brother, schools Chancellor David Banks, and David’s fiancee, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.
No one has been charged with wrongdoing.
Manhattan federal prosecutors are also eying claims that the Turkish government illegally funneled money to Adams’ campaign.
Beach-Mathura initiated her lawsuit by filing a legal notice Nov. 22 — two days before the expiration to file under the New York Adult Survivors Act.
She accused Adams of assaulting her more than three decades ago when the pair worked together in the NYPD’s Transit Bureau.
Beach-Matura’s suit — which calls the mayor a “predator” — claims that Adams exposed himself to her in a “vacant lot” in 1993 and demanded oral sex in exchange for him help advancing her career.
Court papers claim she told nine people about the alleged assault, including seven people before the 2022 passing of the Adult Survivors Act, a law that gave New Yorkers one year to file sex-assault claims that would otherwise fall outside the statute of limitations.
Beach-Matura’s lawyer, Megan Goddard, did not respond to a Post request for comment.
During a feisty court hearing last month, Spiro, who has represented celebrities such as Jay-Z and Elon Musk, argued that Beach-Mathura had provided “no information” to back up her claims, including the date of the alleged assault.
“I don’t settle cases that are fictitious, your Honor,” Spiro said, he told the judge.
Goddard accused Spiro of “gaslighting” the court by falsely suggesting that Beach-Mathura had failed to provide evidence corroborating her claims.
