A Brooklyn state senator claims the law allowing a rape lawsuit against him to move forward was unconstitutional — even though he actually voted for the legislation and then bragged about it.

In court records filed this month, notoriously hot-headed pol Kevin Parker formally denied the rape allegations against him. But he also went a step further, asserting that the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed the related lawsuit against him to proceed, was unconstitutional.

The now-expired act permitted alleged victims to file civil lawsuits against their accused attackers within a certain window even if the state’s statute of limitations had run out on their claims.

In 2004, businessman and politician Wellington Sharpe, who once ran against Parker, said that Parker had assaulted him in an argument. Sharpe did not file any charges.[31][32] Parker defeated Sharpe in the 2004 election.[33]

In January 2005, Parker was arrested, taken to the 67th Precinct station, and charged with third degree assault for punching a New York City traffic agent in the face after Parker saw the traffic agent writing his car a traffic citation for double parking.[31][34][30] The charges were dropped as part of a plea deal after he agreed to take anger management classes.[35][36][37]

In 2005, a female staffer alleged that Parker had hit and shoved her while she was working for him as an office manager. She further alleged that after she made these accusations public, Parker had threatened her at a restaurant.[30][38]

A 32-year-old female special assistant to Parker filed charges with the police at the 70th Precinct against him in 2008.[31][39] She alleged that he pushed her during an argument, choked her, knocked her eyeglasses off her face, and then intentionally smashed her glasses by stomping on them.[40][36][41][42][30][38]

Parker was convicted of misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief in 2010. On May 8, 2009, he was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief, assault, and menacing in Brooklyn for chasing and attacking a New York Post photographer, damaging the photographer's camera and car door, and breaking his finger.[32][43][30][44] Parker was taken to the 67th Police Precinct station, booked, charged with a felony due to the value of damage to the camera and car door, and released without bail.[45][39][46][47] As a result, he was stripped of his leadership positions as Majority Whip and chair of the Energy Committee, and payment of his $22,000 leadership stipend was suspended.[48] Parker was convicted by a jury of two misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief on December 6, 2010.[6][49][50] On March 21, 2011, Parker was sentenced to three years' probation, fined $1,000, and ordered to pay compensation to the newspaper.[32][51][30] He was ordered again to attend anger-management classes; the judge also issued an order of protection against Parker on behalf of the photographer.[6][49][50] Meanwhile, Parker told reporters: "I don't think I have an anger issue."[38]

Parker was restrained by colleagues during a profane tirade against Senator Diane Savino in February 2010,[30] in which he referred to her as a "bitch".[52][53] He then offered to fight her boyfriend, Senator Jeff Klein, who intervened.[54]

In April 2010, Parker launched into a tirade while white colleague, Republican Senator John DeFrancisco of Syracuse, was questioning a Black nominee for the New York State Power Authority at a confirmation hearing.[55] He objected to DeFrancisco's questions and asserted that he had never seen a white nominee treated in similar fashion.[56] "Amid the nearly two-minute tirade, committee chairman Carl Kruger told Parker he would be removed from the hearing room if he didn't settle down".[56] Parker responded: "Well, you better bring people".[57] During the tirade, Parker accused his colleagues of racism. He followed up in a radio interview by accusing DeFrancisco and Parker's Republican "enemies" of being white supremacists,[58][36][59][60] but later apologized for the "white supremacists" accusation.[61] His fellow Democrat, then-Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., himself a member of a racial minority group, opined that Parker "needs help".[62] The New York Times editorial board, writing that Parker was "known as the man with frightening rages that could erupt at any time and on almost any subject," opined that "Mr. Parker should be censured, and voters in central Brooklyn should start recruiting a qualified replacement."[55]

In December 2018, a car bearing Parker's official Senate parking placard was parked illegally in a New York City bicycle lane, blocking bicycle traffic.[63][62] When questioned by a female staffer about the vehicle on Twitter, Parker replied, "Kill yourself!"[64][65] Incoming Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins expressed her "disappointment" at Parker's action, and then-lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul said it was "wildly inappropriate".[34][66][67][68] Parker said: "I don't know why this is a temper issue. Did I touch her?"[69] He also said: "I’m sure people in my district don’t care."[70] As of January 27, 2019, no formal disciplinary action had been taken against him in regard to the "Kill yourself!" tweet.[71]

In an April 2019 closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats, an argument between Parker and then-freshman senator Alessandra Biaggi occurred. Parker reportedly "ripped off his tie and threw it down in a rage".[72][73][30]

In November 2023, Parker was sued by a woman accusing him of raping her in 2004 during his first term in office.[74]