Ex-NYPD commissioner accuses NYC mayor of 'character assassination' in $10 million defamation claim
The filing comes less than a week after the ex-commissioner, Thomas Donlon, sued Adams and his top deputies, accusing them of operating the department as a criminal racket that rewarded unqualified loyalists and punished whistleblowers. Donlon said he was sidelined for trying to clean up the corruption.
After that lawsuit was filed, Adams privately told members of a nonprofit business advocacy group at a meeting that he'd fired Donlon, 71, from his brief stint as commissioner last fall because he was 'rapidly deteriorating mentally," according to attendees. Donlon cited news reports about those comments in his legal claim.
The department's former top spokesperson, Tarik Sheppard, who was also named in Donlon's lawsuit, told reporters that his former boss was 'going through some cognitive issues' and believed 'there was this conspiracy against him.'
Their comments amounted to a defamatory 'public character assassination" intended to "weaponize mental health to silence a whistleblower,' Donlon's attorney, John Scola, said Monday.
Donlon, a former FBI official, was appointed by Adams in September to lead a department reeling from overlapping federal investigations and high-level resignations.
He was replaced by the current commissioner, Jessica Tisch, in November. During his short tenure, federal authorities searched Donlon's home for decades-old documents that he said were unrelated to his work at the department. He has not been publicly accused of wrongdoing in connection with that search.
In his short time as commissioner, Donlon said he uncovered 'systemic corruption' by members of the mayor's inner circle, including a scheme to reward unqualified loyalists with lucrative promotions in exchange for political favors.
In his lawsuit, Donlon accused Sheppard of misappropriating the commissioner's rubber stamp signature to give himself a raise, then threatening to kill Donlon when confronted about it.
Sheppard, who left the department in May, has denied that allegation. Inquiries to City Hall about the defamation claim were not immediately returned.
In a statement last week, a spokesperson for Adams, Kayla Mamelak Altus, described Donlon's claims as 'absurd.'
'These are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who — when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world — proved himself to be ineffective,' she said.
The defamation claim adds to a recent spate of litigation brought by police officals against Adams, focusing scrutiny on his leadership as he seeks re-election on a platform emphasizing managerial competence and public safety.
Earlier this month, four high-ranking former NYPD officials brought separate lawsuits accusing Adams and his deputies of allowing rampant corruption and cronyism within the police department.
In response to those suits, a spokesperson for Adams said the administration 'holds all city employees — including leadership at the NYPD — to the highest standards.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jasmine Crockett unleashes on Ghislaine Maxwell talking to Trump DOJ before Congress: ‘Out of jail for free'
Rep. Jasmime Crockett wants Ghislaine Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year sentence for aiding sex trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein — to testify before Congress before she speaks under oath to the Trump Justice Department. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, will meet with Maxwell on Thursday in Florida, where she is serving out her two-decade sentence for scheming with the late pedophile power-player to sexually exploit and abuse young women and girls. The meeting comes just a day after the House Oversight Committee, on which Crockett sits, voted to subpoena Maxwell. On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena and set Maxwell's deposition date for Aug. 11. 'I don't know that we'll get anywhere, but I know if there's anybody that I want to talk to her, it is us — and not the administration — because at least if she comes before the committee, even if it's behind closed doors, it will be bipartisan,' Crockett, a frequent Trump antagonist, told The Independent. 'It won't just be one side able to ask questions, it'd be both sides, whereas the administration, they're a bunch of thugs,' she railed. 'And frankly, if it means that she can engage in a coverup, he'll most likely let her out of jail free. He's let people out of jail for far less.' This comes after the Department of Justice released a two-page memo on July 6 saying that Epstein, the convicted pedophile, had no 'client list' and died of suicide in his New York City jail cell, where he was found hanged by bed sheets. But Crockett, who spoke to The Independent before Comer issued his subpoena, also cautioned that she did not know if they would actually hear testimony from the once high-flying former socialite Maxwell. 'I don't know if she has appeals that are pending, and I'm sure that her attorneys will have some issues, some questions surrounding so it's more complicated than just subpoenaing her,' the Democrat said. 'We can subpoena all we want to. We have had a number of transcribed interviews as well as depositions over the last two weeks, and frankly, a lot of them ended with nothing because people invoked privilege and things like that.' Crockett has become a fundraising dynamo because of her combative style of questioning on the Oversight Committee and her willingness to joust with Republicans in the majority. But she recently lost her bid to replace the late Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as the top Democrat on the committee to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). Garcia told The Independent that subpoenaing Maxwell does not mean the committee trusts her to be truthful. 'She's a documented liar, she's obviously done an enormous amount to harm young girls and and and has an interest, of course, in, in being free,' Garcia said. 'We should still want to have her come testify in front of oversight in the Congress, but, but we should just be very we should understand that this is a very complex witness and someone that has caused great harm and not a good person to a lot of people.' The House of Representatives broke a day early after the House Rules Committee ground itself to a halt because Democrats continued offering amendments to release files related to Epstein. In an attempt to mollify Democrats and some conservatives, Republicans proposed a non-binding House resolution to get the Department of Justice to release files. In addition, Rep. Thomas (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have a discharge petition, which would force a vote and circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson, to release files related to Epstein. Massie, a critic of Trump, accused Johnson of covering for the president. 'He doesn't want a paper-thin sliver of daylight between him and the president, and so that's why he's avoided taking even the symbolic vote on the non-binding resolution,' Massie told The Independent. Trump, a friend of Epstein's for many years before a falling out that appears to have come before it was publicly known the financier was being investigated over his sex trafficking, has criticized his supporters and others for focusing on the Epstein case. He also vehemently denied a story in The Wall Street Journal that he sent Epstein a note for the disgraced financier and predator's 50th birthday party and also filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the newspaper and its owners News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, among others.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump promised to back Detroit automakers - his deal with Japan has them shaking in their boots
General Motors, Ford and Stellantis - the big three U.S. automakers - pushed back against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan that would lower tariffs on vehicles made overseas and hurt the American car companies. Earlier this week, the president said he had signed the 'largest' trade deal in history with Japan, which would include a 15 percent tariff on imported cars – significantly lower than the 25 percent tariff on other imported vehicles. Trump announced the 25 percent tariff on cars made overseas earlier this year, and many of Detroit's companies manufacture cars in Mexico and Canada, which would make them subject to the 25 percent tariff. Higher tariffs likely mean higher costs for consumers, which could lead people to turn to the cheaper Japan-made models. 'Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers,' Matt Blunt, the head of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the big three Detroit auotmakers, said in a statement. Blunt said American Automakers were still reviewing the terms of the agreement. During the campaign, Trump visited Detroit and touted the American car industry, promising to 'revolutionize' it. However, shortly after taking the White House, he quickly imposed tariffs on all cars made overseas. General Motors warned just this week that it expects a $4 to $5 billion impact from Trump's tariffs. Auto Drive America, a group that represents U.S. operations of foreign vehicle makers, praised the Japan deal while also calling for Trump to reach similar agreements with the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico. 'We share President Trump's vision to make the U.S. the worldwide center of automotive production, and our member companies need stability in order to create an environment where we can maintain our competitive edge both in the U.S. and on the global stage,' Auto Drive America said. While the deal with Japan will impose lower tariffs, Trump said it will also open market access to the U.S. U.S. auto manufacturers have long struggled to infiltrate the Japanese market, in part because smaller cars that drive on the left side of the road are in much more demand – the type that the U.S. does not typically make. Kush Desai, a spokesperson for the White House, said, 'No president has taken a greater interest in restoring the American auto industry's dominance than President Trump, and his Administration is working closely with the auto industry to achieve this goal.' 'President Trump's trade agenda has already secured historic market access to Japan and Indonesia for Made in America cars with more America First trade deals to come,' Desai added. 'The Administration's domestic policy agenda – from rapid deregulation to the pro-growth tax cuts of The One Big Beautiful Bill – will further boost our auto industry's competitiveness on the world stage and Make American Automakers Great Again.' Hoping to stimulate U.S. manufacturing, the president imposed lofty automotive tariffs earlier this year. Automakers initially raised concerns with the 25 percent tariff in addition to other levies such as those on steel and aluminum. After, Trump offered U.S. automakers some relief through a complicated discount program. Two of the big three Detroit automakers appear to have suffered setbacks. General Motors said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings plummeted 35 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. It also reported a $1 billion loss in second-quarter profits. Stellantis, which makes Chryslers, Jeeps, and more, said it expects to see nearly $350 million in losses in the first two quarters of the year, in part due to tariffs. Around 60 percent of car parts are imported, even if the car is finally assembled in the U.S. Every single 2025 model car sold in the U.S. had at least 15 percent of its parts from a country outside of North America. Trump has threatened to hike tariffs on the U.S.'s largest trading partners, Mexico and Canada, to 30 and 35 percent, respectively.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
California utility creates fund for victims of January's deadly Eaton Fire near LA
Southern California Edison announced this week that it will create a fund to compensate victims of January's devastating Eaton Fire near Los Angeles. Investigators haven't yet determined a cause for the blaze that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena. The creation of the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program seems to suggest that the utility is prepared to acknowledge what several lawsuits claim: that its equipmentsparked the conflagration. 'Even though the details of how the Eaton Fire started are still being evaluated, SCE will offer an expedited process to pay and resolve claims fairly and promptly,' Pedro Pizarro, chief executive of Edison International, the utility's parent company, said in a statement Wednesday. 'This allows the community to focus more on recovery instead of lengthy, expensive litigation.' It is not clear how much money the utility will contribute to the fund, but a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles County in March claims that costs and damage estimates were expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars. SCE said the compensation program, which will go into effect this fall, would be open to those who lost homes, rental properties or businesses. It would also cover those who suffered injuries, were harmed by smoke or had family members who were killed. The plan is being created by administrators who helped form similar programs, including the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. LA County previously won more than $64 million in a settlement with Southern California Edison over the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Investigators determined SCE's equipment sparked that blaze, and the utility also paid more than $2 billion to settle related insurance claims. Utility equipment has sparked some of the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history in recent years. Investigators are also working to determine the cause of the Palisades Fire, which broke out shortly before the Eaton Fire and killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures in Los Angeles.
