The New York City's Law Department has moved to end the taxpayer-funded defense of former Mayor Eric Adams in a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in 2024. The city argues that Adams' alleged 1994 sexual assault of a female officer while he was a leader in her department does not count as an action within the scope of his public employment. Law Department head Steven Banks made this decision after reviewing new evidence. The suit was filed by Lorna Beach-Mathura, a Black woman who alleges that Adams forcibly assaulted her during a career advice meeting.