The summons against Adams alleges that the plaintiff “was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York”.

It was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York state law which provided a one-year “look-back” window for adult sexual misconduct accusers to file civil lawsuits that previously would have been barred due to the statute of limitations.

The window expires on 24 November.

Asked about the allegation, a city hall spokesperson said: “The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn't recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.”