Lawsuit against Asian Am sex harassment accuser dismissed

A judge in New York City threw out a defamation lawsuit filed by former mayoral candidate Scott Stringer against the woman who accused him of sexual harassment, reports Law.com.

The accusations by Jean Kim reportedly toppled Stringer’s campaign for mayor of New York in 2021. At the time, he was considered a frontrunner but ended up with just 5% of the vote in the primary, according to Politico.

Kim said during his mayor’s race that Stringer repeatedly groped and kissed her while she volunteered for his campaign in 2001 without her consent.

Judge Richard Latin granted a motion by Kim to dismiss Stringer’s defamation suit against her saying he was barred from suing her because the one-year statute of limitation has passed.

At the time she accused Stringer of sexually assaulting her, she said “I have tried my best to put this chapter of my life behind me. “I’m coming forward now because being forced to see him in my living room, TV, everyday, pretending to be a champion for women’s rights, just sickens me, and I know the truth.”

Stringer had previously denied the allegations by Kim, saying they were in a consensual on-and-off-again relationship.

Stringer’s attorney say his client plans to appeal the dismissal.

“A family name was dragged through the mud and the people of this city were denied a fair election based on lies,” Stringer’s attorney Milton Williams said to the Daily News. “The truth is important, and we will aggressively appeal this decision in order to ensure the truth is heard and justice is served.”

The judge also denied Kim’s motion asking for Stringer to pay her legal fees.

Her attorney applauded the decision to dismiss Stringer’s lawsuit.

“The law is quite clear in this case, and we are very pleased with the Court’s decision,” she Patricia Pastor to law.com.

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