N.Y. state senator calls bill he voted for unconstitutional after rape lawsuit

A New York state senator formally denied the rape allegations against him in a court filing and described state legislation he voted for as unconstitutional.

Kevin Parker, who represents Brooklyn, is facing a rape lawsuit that was filed against him in November. 

Parker voted in favor of the Adult Survivors Act in 2021. The bill, which was signed into law in 2022, allowed the lawsuit, based on an alleged 2004 incident, to move forward.

According to the advocacy group Safe Horizon, the Adult Survivors Act "created a special one-year look-back window, allowing survivors whose case or claim had expired outside the statute of limitations, and who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted in New York State, to file a lawsuit against the person who harmed them and/or the negligent institution."

Parker seemed to stand by his vote when he was initially hit with the lawsuit. 

"I voted in favor of the [Adult Survivors Act] to ensure all New Yorkers can seek justice and be heard,” Parker said in a statement. "These allegations are absolutely untrue. My work and advocacy will continue."

However, Parker referred to the legislation as unconstitutional in a new court filing, according to the New York Post.