{"id":2535278,"date":"2026-01-13T16:39:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-nypd-commissioner-sues-eric-adams-for-defamation-over-mental-decline-claims\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:41:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:41:25","slug":"ex-nypd-commissioner-sues-eric-adams-for-defamation-over-mental-decline-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-nypd-commissioner-sues-eric-adams-for-defamation-over-mental-decline-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-NYPD commissioner sues Eric Adams for defamation over mental decline claims"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fex-nypd-commissioner-sues-eric-adams-for-defamation-over-mental-decline-claims%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2535278&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former interim NYPD commissioner tom Donlon has filed a defamation suit against former New York Mayor Eric Adams, the City of New York, and ex-NYPD spokesman Tarik Sheppard, alleging they falsely portrayed him as mentally unstable to discredit him after he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/katie-hobbes-and-other-az-officials-accused-of-taking-sinaloa-cartel-bribes\/\" title=\"Katie Hobbes and Other AZ Officials Accused of Taking Sinaloa Cartel Bribes\">exposed alleged corruption<\/a> at City Hall and within the police department. The suit, filed in state Supreme Court, follows a July 2025 federal lawsuit in which Donlon accused Adams of running the NYPD as a &#8220;criminal enterprise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Donlon&#8217;s complaint cites public statements by Sheppard claiming Donlon had &#8220;cognitive issues&#8221; and memory problems, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >alleges adams repeated similar assertions<\/a> in a private meeting. Donlon&#8217;s attorney, John Scola, says no medical evaluation or contemporaneous concern was ever requested, and characterizes the comments as a deliberate campaign to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-are-consolidating-power-in-the-name-of-democracy\/\" title=\"Dems Are Consolidating Power In The Name Of &#039;Democracy&#039;\">weaponize false claims<\/a> of mental illness to punish a whistleblower.<\/p>\n<p>Donlon served as interim NYPD commissioner from September to November 2024. An Adams spokesperson previously dismissed Donlon&#8217;s earlier accusations as baseless and called him an ineffective leader when given the opportunity to run the department.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ex-NYPD commissioner sues Eric Adams for defamation over mental decline claims<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2471925\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Tom Donlon, former interim <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\">New York City<\/a> Police Department commissioner, is suing former New York Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/eric-adams\/\">Eric Adams<\/a> for defamation, alleging the city falsely portrayed him as mentally unstable.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, reported by multiple outlets, is Donlon&rsquo;s second legal swing at Adams. Donlon <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3472830\/nypd-commissioner-eric-adams-lawsuit-department-criminal-enterprise\/\">sued the former mayor<\/a> back in July 2025, accusing Adams of running the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nypd\/\">NYPD<\/a> as a &ldquo;criminal enterprise.&rdquo; The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JohnDMacari\/status\/2011086981833638006?s=20\">latest lawsuit<\/a>, filed in the state&rsquo;s Supreme Court on Tuesday, names the city, Adams, and former NYPD spokesman Tarik Sheppard as defendants.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4417152\/la-fire-chief-brushes-off-calls-investigate-edited-palisades-fire-report\/\">LA fire chief brushes off calls to investigate edited Palisades fire report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4416749\/byron-donalds-took-large-donations-ccp-linked-firm-despite-china-criticism\/\">Byron Donalds took large donations from CCP-linked firm despite criticism of China<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4416796\/byron-york-wants-reveal-powell-alleged-wrongdoing-doj-probe\/\">Byron York calls for reveal of Jerome Powell&rsquo;s &lsquo;alleged wrongdoing&rsquo; amid DOJ inquiry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This case concerns a deliberate and concerted effort by the sitting Mayor of the City of New York and his former NYPD chief spokesperson to publicly destroy the credibility of a senior law-enforcement whistleblower by falsely portraying him as cognitively impaired, mentally unstable, and professionally unfit &mdash; after he exposed corruption at the highest levels of City Hall and the New York City Police Department,&rdquo; Donlon&rsquo;s filed defamation lawsuit says, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/01\/13\/nypd-donlon-lawsuit-adams-defamation-00724875\"><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After Donlon filed the federal suit in July, Sheppard alleged Donlon was suffering from &ldquo;cognitive issues&rdquo; and memory problems. The lawsuit cites two examples of when Sheppard asserted the claims and one instance in which Adams repeated the claim in a private meeting, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He was a man who was going through some cognitive issues with his memory, he sort of believed that there was this conspiracy against him, and I thought he was suffering some kind of disorder, I honestly did,&rdquo; Sheppard told <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/news\/nypd-bombshell-lawsuit-donlon-cognitive-sheppard\/\">AMNY<\/a> in July.<\/p>\n<p>Donoln&rsquo;s lawyer, John Scola, said &ldquo;no evaluation was ever requested&rdquo; nor was any &ldquo;contemporaneous concern&rdquo; ever raised, in a statement shared with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ny1.com\/nyc\/all-boroughs\/news\/2026\/01\/13\/former-interim-nypd-commissioner-tom-donlon-eric-adams-defamation-lawsuit\">Spectrum News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was not opinion. It was not commentary. It was a deliberate defamation campaign &mdash; weaponizing false claims of mental illness as statements of fact to destroy a whistleblower&rsquo;s credibility and punish protected conduct,&rdquo; Scola said.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/4416944\/eric-adams-rug-pull-nyc-crypto-coin\/\">ERIC ADAMS SLAMMED FOR &lsquo;PULLING THE RUG&rsquo; ON NEW NYC CRYPTO COIN, COSTING INVESTORS MILLIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Donlon served as NYPD commissioner between the administrations of Edward Caban and Jessica Tisch from September to November 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Following Donlon&rsquo;s removal from the NYPD and his July 2025 federal lawsuit, an Adams spokesperson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3472830\/nypd-commissioner-eric-adams-lawsuit-department-criminal-enterprise\/\">told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em><\/a>  that Donlon&rsquo;s claims of a criminal NYPD under Adams were &ldquo;baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who &mdash;&nbsp;when given the opportunity to lead the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bernard-kerik-former-nypd-chief-during-9-11-dead-at-69-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Bernard Kerik, former ... chief during 9\/11, dead at 69 - Washington Examiner\">greatest police department<\/a> in the world &mdash; proved himself to be ineffective.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ex-NYPD chief sues Adams over mental-illness claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2535279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25175810902327.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[9142,36661,4585,37996,6703],"class_list":["post-2535278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-defamation","tag-eric-adams","tag-lawsuit","tag-mental-decline","tag-nypd"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25175810902327.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2535278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2535282,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535278\/revisions\/2535282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2535279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2535278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2535278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2535278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}