Top Adams Adviser Sexually Harassed Ex-NYPD Sergeant, Lawsuit Contends
Timothy Pearson, a controversial mayoral aide, is the subject of City Hall's second sexual harassment scandal this week. Timothy Pearson, the top Adams adviser and overseeing public safety and migrant shelters in New York City, is named as a defendant in a 55-page sexual harassment lawsuit filed in Manhattan court. The woman alleges that Pearson regularly touched her and other women inappropriately, making sexual comments and questioning her about her marriage. She claims that Pearson retaliated by blocking her promotion to a lucrative position due to her refusal to engage in a quid pro quo relationship where she would be rewarded if she acquiesced to the sexual advances. The lawsuit also provides a behind-the-scenes account of accusations that Pearson abused his power. Despite these allegations, Adams has denied the accusations against him.
Опубликовано : месяц назад от Matt Troutman в Politics
Timothy Pearson — who advises Adams on public safety, COVID-19 and oversees the city's migrant shelters — is named as a defendant in the woman's 55-page sexual harassment lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan court. The woman, who worked in a special mayoral unit, contends Pearson regularly touched her and other women inappropriately, in addition to making sexual comments and peppering her with questions about her marriage, the lawsuit states.
She rejected his advances, which Pearson retaliated against by blocking her promotion to a lucrative position, the complaint contends. "(She) was denied promotion due to her refusal to engage Defendant PEARSON in a quid pro quo relationship where she would be rewarded if she acquiesced to the sexual advances," the complaint states.
Pearson is the second prominent City Hall figure to face a sexual harassment scandal this week, behind Adams himself. Adams denied the accusations against him. City Hall representatives didn't return Patch's request for comment on Pearson.
The low-profile Pearson recently has faced scrutiny for his wide-ranging portfolio, double-dipping his city job with a six-figure gig at Resorts World New York City and a fight at a migrant shelter in which he was accused of attacking security guards. The woman's lawsuit adds to Pearson's woes, and also provides a behind-the-scenes account of accusations that he abused his power.
An NYPD chief during an office party caught Pearson rubbing the woman's shoulders and arms, the lawsuit states. Pearson quickly stopped "in a suspicious manner" and left the room, which prompted the chief to ask the woman what happened, according to the lawsuit. After she told the chief that Pearson is "very touchy feely," the cop told her she should report Pearson for sexual harassment, the lawsuit states. The woman told the chief that would be "career suicide," and he reluctantly stopped pushing her to make the complaint, the complaint contends. But the chief again stood up for the woman after Pearson denied her promotion to Sergeant Special Assignment, an action they both took as retaliation, according to the lawsuit. The chief confronted Pearson over the phone, which prompted a series of arguments — including an apparently thwarted firing by Pearson — that culminated in a dramatic mini-revolt within the office itself, the complaint states. The woman's and chief's colleagues threatened to quit en masse, prompting an angry Pearson to say he "would end their careers," the lawsuit contends. "Plaintiff interpreted these comments by Defendant PEARSON to mean that that if you don’t continue to allow me to sexually harass you in this unit, I will end your career," the complaint states.
Темы: Lawsuits, Law Enforcement, NYPD