New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell strongly rejected allegations Wednesday (Jan. 18) in a divorce petition that she had a sexual affair with a New Orleans Police Officer, NOLA.com reports.

“By the time I complete my tenure as mayor I would have slept with half of the City of New Orleans based on false accusations that come my way sometimes daily. This is only one of them,,” Cantrell wrote in a text message, according to the news outlet. "If I were a MAN you would NOT be texting me about this [expletive]."

The mayor’s denial came one day after media outlets reported the divorce petition filed by Officer Jeffrey Vappie’s wife alleges that an “L.C.” (insinuating Cantrell’s name) began an "ongoing sexual relationship" with him in May 2021. According to the petition, Vappie, who was on Cantrell’s security team, admitted to the extramarital relationship. But according to Vappie’s lawyer, Brian Villavaso, he did not admit an affair to his wife, New Orleans station WVUE reported.

Those accusations make the alleged scandalous affair a public matter. The petition cites 10 dates in August and September when the pair was together. If true, workplace violations may have occurred.

One of the contentions is whether or not Cantrell, who is married, and Vappie met each other during work hours. Vappie could face criminal charges if he reported hours on his timesheet, including overtime, when he was actually with the mayor, NOLA.com noted.

There’s also the issue of possible workplace sexual harassment if Cantrell had sex with a subordinate, as well as whether she exercised influence over his assignments.

"If it’s the police chief who assigns those people and she has no control over it, it's kind of tough to make accusations. But if she has authority to choose who's on that team, and I’m a cop who wants to get on the security detail ... but this guy has the job because he’s having an affair with her? That's different,”  Bill Banta, a retired employment lawyer told NOLA.com.