Ed Murray Accuser Jeff Simpson Will Get $75K Settlement

SEATTLE, WA - The city of Seattle is still dealing with fallout from multiple accusations of sex abuse against ex-mayor Ed Murray. On Monday, KUOW reported that Seattle will pay accuser Jeff Simpson $75,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit.

Simpson was Murray's foster son in the 1980s when Murray lived in the Portland area. Simpson said that Murray raped him, and a report written by an Oregon Child Protective Services investigator substantiated Simpson's claims. Simpson sued Murray and Seattle in February for $1 million claiming that the ex-mayor used his office to defame Simpson and other accusers.

Simpson's accusation was one of two that predated Murray's election as Seattle mayor. But allegations resurfaced in April 2017 when Delvonn Heckard sued Murray over abuse that allegedly took place in Seattle during the late 1980s when Heckard worked as an underage prostitute.

In May 2017, a fourth man, Maurice Jones, accused Murray of sex abuse. In September 2017, Murray's cousin, Joseph Dwyer, came forward with abuse allegations.

Many in Seattle's political establishment - including Mayor Jenny Durkan and Council President Bruce Harrell - had stuck by Murray throughout the abuse scandal. But the fifth accusation was apparently the final straw. Murray announced his resignation on Sept. 12, 2017.

Last December, Seattle agreed to pay Heckard $150,000 to settle his lawsuit. Heckard died in February.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch