After The Seattle Times broke last week that Mayor Ed Murray was facing legal allegations that he procured sex from a then-15-year-old in the ‘80s, the mayor himself took a trip to his doctor to disprove the claims.
The plaintiff centered the veracity of his claim around having recalled a mole or lump on the mayor’s penis, knowing the mayor’s home phone number, and being able to describe the mayor’s apartment. In a press conference this evening, Murray’s lawyer, Bob Sulkin, emphasized that the mayor’s doctor visit denied the allegation’s credibility.
“The heart of this complaint and why this allegation was put in this complaint is that it is so private,” Sulkin said. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, okay? I understand why lawyers do things. [The mole] is the fingerprint.”
The practitioner, Craig Pepin, who the mayor visited is a gastroenterologist.
It is unclear if Murray will settle with the plaintiffs.
The current lawsuit claims the mayor “raped and molested” the plaintiff over a course of several years, while paying $10 to $20 for each encounter.
Murray previously faced allegations from two people, Jeff Simpson and Lloyd Anderson, who claimed he purchased sex from them, also in the ‘80s. The Multnomah County District Attorney in Oregon rejected those allegations in 1984.
There was some hubbub on Friday that the Mayor was expected to resign, but instead, his last-minute press conference lasted two minutes and denied all allegations while attempting to damage the plaintiff’s, and potential victim’s, reputation. Needless to say, the crowd wasn’t happy about the mayor’s tactics.
Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the practitioner that Mayor Murray visited as Christopher Pepin, a primary care physician. Mayor Murray actually visited Craig Pepin, who is Christopher’s brother and a gastroenterologist.
Kelsey Hamlin | Portfolio 
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