One of Mayor Eric Adams’s closest confidants was sued on Wednesday for the second time in a month over accusations that he harassed and retaliated against a New York Police Department sergeant he oversaw.
The confidant, Timothy Pearson, was so prone to sexually harassing women that he was secretly placed under watch to try to prevent him from being alone with female colleagues, the suit says.
The allegations, made by a retired sergeant, Michael Ferrari, in a complaint filed Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, support similar accusations by one of Mr. Ferrari’s former colleagues in the unit, Roxanne Ludemann.
Ms. Ludemann filed suit against Mr. Pearson last month, alleging that he often put his hands on female colleagues and retaliated against those who complained.
Ms. Ludemann retired in January after she said she was subject to harassment and retaliation. Her departure came roughly seven months after Mr. Ferrari retired; he said in the lawsuit that Mr. Pearson’s harassment and retaliation had effectively ended his career.
Mr. Ferrari also asserted that Mr. Pearson was privately given the nickname “Crumbs” when he expressed anger after a contractor had been paid.
“Do you know how these contracts work?” the lawsuit quotes Mr. Pearson as saying. “People are doing very well on these contracts. I have to get mine. Where are my crumbs?”
Mr. Pearson declined to comment.
Mr. Pearson, who has known Mr. Adams for decades, is the subject of an ongoing inquiry by the city’s Department of Investigation, after he brawled with security guards at a Midtown Manhattan migrant shelter last fall. Investigators are also expected to examine the new accusations against him.
But Mr. Pearson first came to public attention early in Mr. Adams’s tenure in City Hall, when The New York Times reported that he was simultaneously collecting a city salary and his police pension while also serving as head of security at Resorts World New York City, a major slot machine parlor in Queens. Resorts World plans to apply for one of three coveted full-scale casino licenses in the New York City area.
The mayor has repeatedly defended Mr. Pearson. A spokeswoman for Mr. Adams, Kayla Mamelak, said on Wednesday that the mayor’s office would review the lawsuit, adding, “We hold all public servants to the highest standards.”
In the lawsuit, Mr. Ferrari detailed a pattern of retribution carried out on Mr. Pearson’s behalf. After Mr. Ferrari’s immediate supervisor confronted Mr. Pearson about his harassment of women — even speaking to Bernard Adams, the mayor’s brother, about the behavior — the supervisor was transferred out of the unit, the Mayor’s Office of Municipal Services Assessment, according to the suit.
Uncomfortable continuing to work for Mr. Pearson, Mr. Ferrari said he sought a transfer. After his request, he was summoned to a meeting with Jeffrey Maddrey, the chief of department, who assigned him to patrol duty in Queens.
In his new assignment, Mr. Ferrari said he was denied overtime and the choice of shift that his seniority would normally allow.
That resulted in a more than $35,000 drop in his pay and amounted to “a demotion within the N.Y.P.D.,” according to the suit. Mr. Ferrari is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as damages for emotional distress, in the lawsuit, which also names Mr. Maddrey as a defendant.
A Police Department spokesman said officials would “review the lawsuit if and when we are served.”
After The New York Times reported on Mr. Pearson’s dual employment for the city and casino, he left his casino job and his city duties were expanded: He was put in charge of the Municipal Services Assessment office, whose mandate was to work with city agencies to improve their services.
“Mayor Eric Adams continues to turn a blind eye to the sexual harassment allegations against his top aide Pearson,” John Scola, the lawyer representing both Mr. Ferrari and Ms. Ludemann, said in a text message.
“Due to the refusal to investigate or discipline Pearson for his unlawful actions, the city continues to place its employees at risk of further harassment and has communicated to the women employees of the city, and those that stand up against sexual harassment, that they are second-class employees who will not be protected,” Mr. Scola said.
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