Metro

Law Dept. trying to force 9-year-old rape victim to testify

The city Law Department is trying to force a traumatized 9-year-old Brooklyn girl to testify about how she was brutally raped in a homeless shelter last year, new court papers charge.

City attorney John Orcutt sent a letter to Steven Popkin, the lawyer for the girl, demanding that she testify at a pre-trial hearing Tuesday, the document states.

The city is preparing to defend itself after the child’s mom submitted a notice of claim saying she planned to sue, arguing that the city shouldn’t have placed them in a shelter with no security and with a history of violent crime.

A Law Department spokeswoman said, “The city needs to get a clearer understanding of what occurred.”