Former NYPD commissioner Tom Donlon is launching a $10 million legal battle against Mayor Eric Adams and Donlon's one-time subordinate, Tarik Sheppard, over claims suggesting he is mentally unfit. According to Donlon's lawyer, John Scola, the accusations against Donlon are defamatory, stating "This wasn’t spin. It was a deliberate and defamatory attack — weaponizing mental health to silence a whistleblower and deflect from the criminal misconduct Donlon exposed," as reported by The New York Post.
Donlon’s complaints stem from the fallout of a previous lawsuit he filed alleging corruption within the NYPD. After filing the lawsuit, alleging a criminal operation led by Adams and NYPD officials, Sheppard appeared on PIX11 and purportedly defamed Donlon. He suggested that Donlon had "extreme trust issues" and was "showing many signs of cognitive issues and not making decisions," as noted in the legal claim cited by The New York Post.
CBS News New York reported on a statement from the mayor’s office calling it "yet another frivolous attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayers' expense," and confirmed intentions to "respond in court if and when the complaint is filed."
The controversy has highlighted the tension between Mayor Adams' administration and the former commissioner over how the NYPD was being managed. In his first lawsuit, Donlon had filed under the RICO act, believing the mayor and his squad were operating a racketeering enterprise and called for federal intervention. The previous allegations included unmerited promotions and concealment attempts, and Donlon claimed he was sidelined for questioning these issues.
In response to the most recent defamation claims, Adams sought to underline what he saw as weaknesses in the original lawsuit, which reportedly contained typographical errors. A spokesperson for City Hall, Liz Garcia, dismissed Donlon's actions as an attempt to "make money off of New Yorkers and tear down the honorable men and women at NYPD." In the aftermath, Adams was quoted, in the notice of claim, telling business leaders that Donlon was "rapidly deteriorating mentally," and fired him for refusing a "mental health check-up." This claim, along with others, is being preserved as part of the communications concerning Donlon, as highlighted by The New York Post.
Both parties are preparing to present their cases in court, where additional details are expected to emerge. Attempts to contact Sheppard were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
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