Delvonn Heckard, the man whose withdrawn child sex abuse lawsuit against former Seattle mayor Ed Murray opened the doors for four more allegations against the mayor and eventually led to his resignation, re-filed his suit in King County Superior Court today.
Read the lawsuit, first reported by Seattle Times, here.
This time, Heckard is also suing the City of Seattle for defamation, claiming it gave Murray a platform to spread lies about him and his lawyers. And while it doesn’t name any more defendants, the suit also faults Murray’s lawyer, his husband and his spokesperson for pushing a claim that the lawsuit was “anti-gay” and part of a “felonious right-wing agenda.”
The onslaught of attacks on Heckard and his motivations made it “impossible” for him to win his legal case while Murray was still in office, the lawsuit claims. Heckard dropped his initial lawsuit in June.
“Mr Murray and his legal team employed unscrupulous tactics to defame Delvonn, and his legal team. Those efforts, and the mayoral influence, swayed public perceptions and Delvonn’s ability to receive fair and equal treatment in the court system,” the complaint, filed by attorney Lincoln Beauregard, says.
“Now, with Mr. Murray no longer in a position of power to wield against these claims, Delvonn, and his legal team made the decision that it is time to achieve full accountability in a fair and impartial venue,” the lawsuit continues.
Heckard first filed a child sex abuse lawsuit against Murray in April, claiming the former mayor paid him for sex multiple times when Heckard was a teenager under the age of consent. Murray was in his 30s at the time of the alleged abuse. As the lawsuit was filed, the Times also published the stories of two other men, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, who say Murray abused them when they were teenagers in the 80s. (The Times later uncovered documents showing that a caseworker for Oregon Child Protective Services previously believed Simpson’s allegations against Murray.) About a month later, a fourth accuser, Maurice Jones, claimed in written deposition that Murray abused him too. And on September 18, the Times published an abuse claim from a fifth accuser, a cousin named Joseph Dyer. That same day, Murray announced his resignation.
Heckard’s new lawsuit largely repeats allegations made in his original lawsuit, describing in detail Murray’s old apartment and multiple encounters in which Murray would pay him for intercourse and oral sex. But it also includes new claims arising out of events that took place since April.
The lawsuit cites multiple claims by Murray and confidantes (namely spokesperson Jeff Reading and husband Michael Shiosaki) in press conferences, television interviews and printed statements (including an op-ed published on The Stranger‘s website) asserting that Heckard’s lawsuit came out of an anti-gay conspiracy against the mayor. It also names council members Sally Bagshaw and Bruce Harrell for comments they made supporting the mayor as he faced the sex abuse allegations.
Specifically, the lawsuit points to Bagshaw’s defense of Murray shortly after the Heckard’s first lawsuit, in which she said, “I want you to know I have faith in this mayor.” It also highlight’s Harrell’s comments to council members arguing against removing Murray from office. “Would you want to be judged by something alleged to have happened 30 years ago?” he said.
