Seattle mayor Ed Murray, who earned praise and adoration from the left after he filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the president's executive order calling for a crackdown on sanctuary cities, is now on the receiving end of a lawsuit. Murray stands accused of sexually assaulting teenage boys during the 1980s, according to a report published by the Seattle Times. The lawsuit against the Seattle mayor was filed on Thursday by a 46-year-old male from Kent, who alleges that Murray "raped and molested" him over a period of several years beginning in 1986, when the plaintiff was 15 years of age.
Murray accused of paying boy for sexual favors
The lawsuit, which was filed in King County court, alleges that the victim was a drug addict and high school dropout at the time and that, on numerous occasions, Murray paid the teen for sexual favors. The plaintiff states that he has been sober for over a year.
The plaintiff, identified in court records by the initials "D.H.", told the Seattle Times that his reason for coming forward with these allegations is all about the healing process. “I have been dealing with this for over 30 years,” said the plaintiff, who felt that it was necessary to file the lawsuit after the years of "shame" and "humiliation" that Murray put him through.
Ed Murray, however, adamantly denies the allegations -- even though the lawsuit provides specific details that would seem nearly impossible to make up.
For instance, D.H.'s lawsuit gives details about the apartment Murray lived in during the time of the alleged sexual abuse, Murray's home phone number at the time, and a detailed description of Murray's genitals.
The Seattle mayor, who is seeking re-election later this year, abruptly canceled all scheduled public appearances after news of the lawsuit broke.
A statement from Murray's official spokesperson, Jeff Reading, insists that the accusations are false and that the alleged victim filed the lawsuit with intent "to damage a prominent elected official." Reading added that it was not a coincidence that the plaintiff's "shakedown effort" took place just ahead of the campaign filing deadline.
However, after Mayor Murray emphatically dismissed the lawsuit as a "shakedown attempt," other alleged victims came forward with their own stories.
Mayor blames allegations on anti-gay activists
Two of these accusers, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, stated that they met Murray when they were residing at a center for troubled teens. The men say that Murray molested them in the 1980s when the 61-year-old mayor was a young man in his 20s. Simpson's story pokes a major hole in the mayor's denial, as he came forward with his charges of sexual abuse against Murray in 1984 -- long before Murray entered the political arena and became a self-described target for "shakedown" attempts.
Simpson revealed the abuse to a social worker and law enforcement officials in 1984, but no charges were ever filed.
The other alleged victim, who also came forward in the 1980s, told his story to local reporters and state lawmakers. Once again, no charges were filed against Murray. Jeff Reading's statement from the mayor acknowledges these two additional accusers, and claims that Anderson and Simpson's allegations were the doings of "extreme right-wing anti-gay activists" with "substantial criminal records."
