Transport Workers Union threatens to sue GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa over ‘defamatory’ horse abuse comments

Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen threatened on Monday to sue Republican mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and an animal rights activist, for “defamatory and false” comments the candidate at a Thursday rally.

In a Monday letter to Sliwa, obtained by amNewYork, Samuelson pointed to Sliwa’s remark at the rally that “there is money under the table to the TWU leadership” relating to New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry. Samuelsen demanded in his letter that Sliwa “issue a written retraction of the statement and offer an apology to the members of the TWU whose leadership you have slandered and defamed.”

“If you choose not to act honorably by retracting the false statement, we will commence legal action against you for your actions forthwith,” Samuelsen wrote. “We will seek damages commensurate with the harm done to my reputation and to the reputation of the TWU.”

Samuelsen and the union gave Sliwa a Thursday deadline to issue the retraction and apology before proceeding with legal action. The letter also described Thursday’s rally as “lightly attended” and “underwhelming.”

“Sliwa spewed garbage, with a reckless disregard for the truth, to advance his political goals,” Samuelsen wrote in a statement to amNewYork. “It’s not protected by the Constitution, and he will pay for it.”

The remarks from Sliwa at the rally — where the candidate also called on the City Council to prioritize legislation that would ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City — came days after a jury acquitted Ian McKeever, a veteran carriage driver, of animal abuse charges. McKeever’s horse, Ryder, collapsed on the street in Hell’s Kitchen three years ago, and McKeever was charged in 2023.

City Council Member Robert Holden (D-Queens) is sponsoring Ryder’s Law, which would prohibit new licenses for horse-drawn carriages and eventually end the industry in the city. A handful of animal rights advocates called for the passage of the legislation at Thursday’s rally at City Hall, where Holden and Councilmember Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) also delivered remarks.

A spokesperson for Sliwa did not respond to a request for comment, which included a request for any evidence backing up Sliwa’s claim, in time for publication. However, Sliwa told the Daily News, which first reported the lawsuit, that his remarks were “First Amendment protected speech.”

“My statement was generic and not individual-specific,” Sliwa told the Daily News. “I believe Mr. Samuelsen and the TWU have other things to focus on.”

Ryder was euthanized a few months after the fall “due to his medical conditions and age.” Ryder was later diagnosed with cancer, and the defense testified that McKeever and other horse handlers were not aware of the horse’s illness until after its collapse. After the incident, the union and the city faced backlash for what some saw as a lack of attention on horses’ health and well-being. Though the city previously employed a full-time veterinarian who worked with TWU and horse owners, the position has been unfilled for several years.

TWU began consulting with its own veterinarian after Ryder’s 2022 collapse and has since worked to implement reforms in horse treatment.