Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, left, walks away with his husband, Michael Shiosaki, after reading a statement to media members, Friday, April 7, 2017, in Seattle. A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Murray of sexually molesting a teenage high-school dropout in the 1980s, and in interviews with The Seattle Times, two other men claim he abused them. The mayor denied the allegations through his personal spokesman Jeff Reading. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says sex abuse allegations made against him "were very painful" but that he won't back down in fighting them.
In a brief statement Friday, Murray said "the individual making these allegations is troubled, and that makes me sad as well."
Murray, who is running for re-election, said he has never backed down, and "I will not back down now."
Murray didn't take questions, saying the lawsuit is a legal matter that will be addressed in the court.
A lawsuit filed Thursday by a man identified only by initials had accused Murray of sex abuse of a then-teenage boy in the 1980s. Murray had previously denied the allegations through a spokesman, saying they are politically motivated.
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