Mayor Ed Murray spoke publicly for the first time since a lawsuit filed Thursday alleged he sexually abused a teenager.
Mayor Ed Murray spoke publicly for the first time since a lawsuit filed Thursday alleged he sexually abused a teenager. City of Seattle

Commenting for the first time on allegations that he raped a teenager in the 1980s, Mayor Ed Murray denied those charges in brief comments today.

Speaking to reporters at the offices of the law firm representing him, McNaul Ebel, Murray called the alleged victim "troubled" and pledged to continue his term as mayor and his campaign for reelection.

"I have never backed down," Murray said. "I will not back down now. I will continue to be mayor of this city. I will continue to run for reelection."

After delivering the remarks, Murray hugged his husband and left the room without taking questions from reporters.

Murray's comments follow a civil lawsuit, first reported Thursday by the Seattle Times, that alleges Murray paid a man identified in the civil complaint as "D.H." $10 or $15 for sex at least 50 times over four to five years while the man was a teenager and Murray was in his 30s. The complaint in the case alleges that D.H. knows Murray’s previous phone number, old address, layout of that apartment, and details about his body. Until this afternoon, Murray had denied the allegations only through a spokesperson and lawyer. Lawyers representing the alleged victim have said D.H. is "anxious to respond" to Murray's allegations that the case is politically motivated. Two other men made similar allegations to the Seattle Times but are not named in the suit.

Watch Murray make his statement here.