Former interim NYPD commissioner to file another lawsuit against Mayor Adams over mental health comments
Tom Donlon filed a notice of intent to sue Monday, just days after filing another lawsuit against the mayor and several of the NYPD's top brass alleging corruption.
In the latest filing, Donlon accuses Adams and former Deputy Chief of Public Information Tarik Sheppard of retaliating with a "public character assassination."
Donlon alleges that after the first lawsuit was filed, Adams privately told members of a nonprofit business advocacy group that he fired Donlon last fall because he was "rapidly deteriorating mentally," according to attendees. Donlon cited news reports about those comments in his legal claim.
Sheppard also told reporters that his former boss was "going through some cognitive issues" and believed "there was this conspiracy against him," according to Donlon's new filing. Sheppard left the department in May.
Donlon's attorney, John Scola, said Monday their comments amounted to a defamatory "public character assassination" intended to "weaponize mental health to silence a whistleblower."
CBS News New York reached out to the NYPD, which referred us to City Hall.
"This is yet another frivolous attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayers' expense," the mayor's office said in a statement, adding, "We will respond in court if and when the complaint is filed."
Donlon became interim police commissioner in September after his predecessor, Edward Caban, resigned following a federal raid of members of the mayor's administration. He served until November, when he passed the torch to Jessica Tisch.
Donlon filed his first lawsuit under the RICO act, claiming the mayor and his top staff at the NYPD are running a criminal racketeering enterprise. He called for a federal takeover of the NYPD and appointing an independent special monitor to investigate corruption in the department.
That lawsuit centered around claims of unmerited promotions and an alleged coverup attempt. Donlon claims he was sidelined when he started raising questions.
The suit named Adams and several of the NYPD's top brass, including Sheppard, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, Chief of Patrol John Chell, then-Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, who's now deputy mayor for public safety, and Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber.
"These are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who — when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world — proved himself to be ineffective. This suit is nothing more than an attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayer's expense after Mr. Donlon was rightfully removed from the role of interim police commissioner. The NYPD is led by the best, brightest, and most honorable professionals in the nation — and their results speak for themselves: crime continues to fall across the city, with shootings at the lowest level in recorded history. We will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven," the Adams administration responded in a statement at the time.
Earlier this month, four other former high-ranking NYPD members sued the department over accusations of fraudulent promotions.
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