Seattle Mayor Ed Murray Accused Of Rape, Molestation Of Teen In 1980s: Lawsuit

SEATTLE, WA - A lawsuit was filed against Seattle Mayor Ed Murray on Thursday by a Kent man alleging that the mayor "criminally and repeatedly raped" a 15-year-old in the mid-1980s.

The plaintiff, identified in the suit as "D.H.," is claiming that Murray paid to have sex with him while he was both addicted to crack and working as a prostitute in 1986. The Seattle Times broke the news of the lawsuit on Thursday.

Read the Seattle Times story on the Ed Murray lawsuit>>>

Murray is vigorously denying the allegations and his spokesman told the Seattle Times: "These false accusations are intended to damage a prominent elected official who has been a defender of vulnerable populations for decades. It is not a coincidence that this shakedown effort comes within weeks of the campaign filing deadline."

Murray's attorney, Robert Sulkin, held a press conference on Thursday afternoon and vowed that Murray would fight the lawsuit.

"At the end of the day, we're going to defend this lawsuit vigorously, the mayor is going to do his job for the city of Seattle, and this accuser is going to have to explain himself," Sulkin said. "The allegations are false, [Murray] is not engaged in any inappropriate conduct with a minor."

This is an election year for Murray; he was first elected mayor of Seattle in 2013. D.H. is seeking monetary damages from Murray.

The lawsuit describes graphic sex acts and includes a description of Murray's body parts. The suit claims that D.H. met Murray aboard Seattle's 7 bus, and that the relationship began with Murray paying $10 to $15 for sex.

D.H. is being represented in the suit by Connelly Law Offices, which has been involved in high-profile lawsuits against Seattle Police, the Tacoma School District, and the state Department of Corrections.

D.H. felt the need to come forward with the allegations, according to the suit, because of the recent death of his father, which spurred "moments of reflection and introspection" and visits with a counselor.

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Image via city of Seattle