Seattle mayor denies claims of abusing teen decades ago

SEATTLE (AP) – The Latest on a lawsuit filed against Seattle Mayor Ed Murray alleging he sexually molested a teenage high-school dropout in the 1980s. (all times local) :

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4:30 p.m.

An attorney for a man who claimed Seattle Mayor Ed Murray sexually abused him decades ago – allegations Murray has forcefully denied – says Murray isn’t being truthful.

A lawsuit filed Thursday by a man identified only by initials had accused Murray of sex abuse of the then-teenage boy in the 1980s. Murray on Friday denied the allegations, and he said he felt sad for the “troubled” individual making the claims.

The man’s lawyer, Lincoln Beauregard, said in a statement after Murray’s comments that the mayor’s representatives have never asked for his client’s identity and that if Murray is being truthful “he should have no idea who my client is … how can he paint him as ‘troubled.’ “

In the lawsuit filed Thursday, however, the man had said he sought mental health counseling following the death of his father and was taking part in addiction-recovery programs.

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3:29 p.m.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says sex abuse allegations made against him “were very painful” but that he won’t back down in fighting them.

In a brief statement Friday, Murray said “the individual making these allegations is troubled, and that makes me sad as well.”

Murray, who is running for re-election, said he has never backed down, and “I will not back down now.”

Murray didn’t take questions, saying the lawsuit is a legal matter that will be addressed in the court.

A lawsuit filed Thursday by a man identified only by initials had accused Murray of sex abuse of the then-teenage boy in the 1980s. Murray had previously denied the allegations through a spokesman, saying they are politically motivated.

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3:05 p.m.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says sex abuse allegations made against him are “untrue” and that he won’t resign and will continue seeking re-election.

Murray, who was finishing his first term, made the announcement Friday afternoon.

Murray was elected mayor in 2013 after spending nearly 20 years representing Seattle in in the Legislature, where he led efforts to legalize gay marriage in Washington. As mayor he pushed to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

A lawsuit filed Thursday had accused Murray of sex abuse of a then-teenage boy in the 1980s. In interviews with The Seattle Times, two other men claim he abused them as teens, also in the 1980s. Murray had previously denied the allegations through a spokesman, saying they are politically motivated.

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6:40 a.m.

A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of sexually molesting a teenage high-school dropout in the 1980s, and in interviews with The Seattle Times, two other men claim he abused them.

The mayor denied the allegations through his personal spokesman Jeff Reading.

Murray was elected mayor in 2013 after a long career in the Legislature, where he led efforts to legalize gay marriage in the state. As mayor he pushed to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and address the homelessness crisis in Seattle.

In the lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court, a 46-year-old man, identified only by the initials, D.H., said Murray “raped and molested him” over several years, beginning in 1986 – when he was 15 and addicted to crack cocaine, and when Murray was in his early 30s.