Andrew Cuomo is taking his revenge tour aggressively — the former Empire State governor is suing a former staffer who accused him of sexual harassment.
Cuomo, 67, filed a notice on Thursday that he intends to launch a lawsuit accusing former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming him after she alleged he made invasive comments to her about their private life and sexual relationship. Questions were asked.
The notice of claim, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
This comes less than two weeks after Bennett dropped her federal harassment charges against Cuomo – Just a few days ago she was about to give a marathon statement.
“Governor Cuomo fully intends to clear his name and ensure that Bennett and his agents never repeat the lie that he sexually harassed Bennett,” Cuomo’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
Cuomo’s lawyers have not yet filed a formal legal complaint against Bennett laying out their exact allegations, but argue in the six-page subpoena that evidence uncovered during his federal trial shows he engaged in harassment. Has fabricated claims.
filed also points to a statement Bennett’s attorney, Debra Katz, dropped the federal lawsuit earlier this month in which she claimed Cuomo sexually harassed her client.
“The defamatory statement of December 9 – which was intended and widely disseminated and which was made in the wake of numerous prior public allegations against Governor Cuomo by Bennett and her agents – was false and defamatory, and Bennett took it in good faith. Gave it knowingly. This was wrong and intended to harm Governor Cuomo,” Cuomo’s lawyers wrote.
Bennett’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The move is the latest in a multi-million dollar legal battle waged by Cuomo against three women who have sued him over sexual harassment-related claims – Bennett, Brittany Commisso, and a The unidentified state soldier assigned to protect them. The detail is referred to in court papers as Trooper One.
Much of Cuomo’s defense has been funded by taxpayers under a state law that allows former pols to get reimbursed by the state for using campaign cash to defend themselves against charges arising from their work in office. .
New Yorkers have spent nearly $16 million so far to pay the legal bills of Cuomo and his allies.
Cuomo’s lawyers have also hit back at criticisms of his taxpayer-funded fight — even trying to get a gag order To prevent Bennett’s lawyers from talking about the topic.
“Plaintiff Cuomo’s defamation lawsuit filed today is riddled with errors in well-documented facts, from basic things like when Charlotte Bennett informed her superiors about Cuomo’s illegal conduct, to when they fired her a second “To contact him,” Erica Vladimir, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, told The Post.
“The independent, thorough report from the Attorney General’s Office includes statements under oath from Ms. Bennett and Cuomo’s former staffers, as well as related records on these cases and others. A separate Justice Department investigation found that Cuomo’s staff also violated federal laws,” Vladimir continued.
Meanwhile, Bennett is also suing the governor’s office directly in state court over her allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. That case is still ongoing, and Cuomo’s allies are pleading with Gov. Kathy Hochul not to agree to a settlement with Bennett.
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