SEATTLE _ The man who filed a lawsuit accusing Seattle Mayor Ed Murray of sexually abusing him three decades ago when he was an underage crack-addict withdrew the case Tuesday, saying he plans to refile early next year.
A lawyer for Delvonn Heckard filed paperwork in King County Superior Court to drop the civil lawsuit _ which last month prompted Murray to end his campaign for a second term _ under a procedural rule that allows plaintiffs to refile under certain conditions.
The filing by Heckard's attorney, Lincoln Beauregard, says Heckard wants to complete drug rehabilitation and believes his case would have a better chance at success once Murray is out of office. Murray, 62, plans to serve out his term through the end of the year.
"This lawsuit was a painful experience," Murray said in a prepared statement read before the media at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. He added that it had been "a painful experience for the people of this city."
"It is not true," he said of the allegations in the lawsuit.
He accused Beauregard of perhaps exploiting those involved. He said that if Beauregard's goal was to end Murray's career, "You were not successful. I will continue to be mayor of this city." Murray laid out his political beliefs and priorities and said the work would continue.
A reporter asked if Murray was angry. "Of course," he said, then turned to his husband, Michael Shiosaki, who said, "Absolutely."
Murray has denied Heckard's allegations all along, saying the lawsuit and similar accusations by three others were politically motivated and meant to drive him from office. Murray, who was a strong favorite to win re-election, announced May 9 he was ending his run. The other three men have not sued.
Earlier Wednesday, Malaika Eaton, an attorney for Murray, said in an email the timing of the dismissal "raises questions, given that it occurred only one day before Plaintiff was required to provide answers to questions under oath that we believe would have, along with the objective and undisputed medical evidence, shown his accusations against Mayor Murray to be false."
"That aside, we are pleased that the case is now dismissed. The excuses Plaintiff has made for this dismissal are just that, excuses, and were rejected by the Court when the Court denied Plaintiff's motion to move the case out of Seattle," she added.
Heckard, 46, who lives at a recovery center in Kent, said Tuesday he stands behind his claims against Murray, but agreed with his attorneys to withdraw the case for now.
"I just want people to know that it's not over and it's not going away," Heckard said. "It's just a delay."
The maneuver to drop, then potentially refile the lawsuit, could mean a new judge would get the case.
King County Superior Court Judge Veronica Alicea-Galvan has taken a hard line against Beauregard's tactics, including sanctioning him for violating ethical standards. She has said some of Beauregard's court filings appeared designed "for the sole purpose and intent of generating publicity."
The prospect of a new judge, Beauregard said, is "a nice benefit of refiling," but he added, "my public comment on that would be no comment."
The withdrawal of Heckard's civil lawsuit is the latest in a series of stunning developments that in just a little over two months reshaped Seattle mayoral race.
The primary election is Aug. 1, and 21 candidates have filed to succeed Murray.
During Wednesday's news conference, Murray said he hadn't had time to think about a comeback via a write-in campaign but would consider it.
The deadline to put his name on the Aug. 1 ballot has passed, but he could run as a write-in. Voters would need to spell his name correctly, according to King County Elections. If Murray finished in the top two in the primary, his name would appear on the general-election ballot in November.
Murray also could bypass the primary, and seek write-in votes in the general election.
Heckard filed the lawsuit against Murray in early April, contending in a salaciously detailed complaint that Murray repeatedly paid him for sex beginning when Heckard was a 15-year-old crack addict living on the streets. Heckard later estimated in an interview that he engaged in more than 50 sexual transactions with Murray over several years _ all allegedly involving small cash payments and occurring at Murray's Capitol Hill apartment.
Heckard said he decided to come forward with the lawsuit after his father died and he was in treatment for his longtime drug addiction. His lawsuit also states that Murray's "position of authority" prompted Heckard to bring the case "in an attempt at accountability."
With the filing of the lawsuit, the other allegations against Murray surfaced. Jeff Simpson, Murray's former foster son, says Murray repeatedly raped him in Portland in the 1980s, starting when Simpson was 13, and later paid him for sex as Simpson grew older.
Lloyd Anderson, who says his mother abandoned him as a boy, claims he also met Murray in the late 1970s when Murray worked at a center for troubled kids in Portland. He says Murray later paid him for sex on several occasions when Anderson was a teenager.
A fourth accuser, Maurice Lavonn Jones _ a friend of Heckard's _ came forward early last month to say Murray paid him for sex several times when he was an addicted teenage prostitute in the 1980s.
