SEATTLE (AP) — A suburban Seattle man who withdrew a lawsuit that helped bring to light a wider alleged sex abuse scandal that drove Seattle’s former mayor to resign has refiled a legal case that this time includes the city.
The Seattle Times reports Delvonn Heckard’s new lawsuit was filed Monday in King County Superior Court.
It not only accuses Ed Murray of repeatedly raping and molesting Heckard as a teenager, but also blames the city of Seattle for enabling Murray to use his political office to slander Heckard and other alleged victims for months during the former mayor’s public denials.
A spokeswoman for City Attorney Pete Holmes said Monday his office hadn’t received a copy of the lawsuit and doesn’t typically comment on pending litigation against the city.
Murray, through a personal spokesman, declined to comment. He has denied the sex abuse allegations.