NYPD chief sues city, top brass claiming sexual harassment

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – An NYPD deputy chief on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the city and NYPD’s top brass claiming rampant sexual harassment and retaliation. 

NYPD Deputy Chief Miltiadis Marmara, who has worked with the city for over 30 years, filed the lawsuit taking particular aim at Timothy Pearson, once a senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams who has already faced accusations of sexual harassment.

“All too often women are targeted by predator employees of the NYPD,” Marmara’s lawyers wrote in the complaint filed in New York County Supreme Court Tuesday. 

Aware of Pearson’s alleged conduct, particularly against his Chief of Staff Roxanne Ludeman who sued Pearson in March, Marmara “heroically risked his career” by implementing a plan to protect women in the office, according to Marmara’s lawyer John Scola. 

Marmara’s complaints about Pearson cost him his job in April 2023, according to Scola. 

And, city officials knew of Pearson’s alleged conduct when they put him in a position of power, according to the suit.

“Pearson acts with impunity, forcing top officials to tolerate his behavior, failing every female employee,” Scola said.

A spokesperson for City Hall told PIX11 News it will review the suit.

“Our administration holds employees to the highest ethical standards, and we take these allegations seriously. We will review the lawsuit," said a spokesperson for City Hall.

John M Flannery, an attorney for Pearson and the other defendants, told PIX11 News they will "vigorously defend themselves" against the case. Flannery denied Marmara was fired in retaliation, but rather as a "result of his own misconduct," which included threatening Pearson.

The Defendants denied all of the substantive allegations contained in the related lawsuits that have been filed, and as with the other cases, plan to vigorously defend themselves in this suit. ... Prior to his removal, neither Deputy Chief Marmara nor the other plaintiffs had ever reported any alleged misconduct by Mr. Pearson to the City or internally to the NYPD as alleged in the complaints. Deputy Chief Marmara and the other plaintiffs only reported alleged misconduct after they were the subjects of an NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau investigation into their own misconduct. We will review the suit once it is served."

John Flannery, lawyer for the defendants

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