‘A series of injuries’: Cuomo threatens defamation lawsuit against former aide who accused him of sexual harassment
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a notice Thursday that he will file a defamation lawsuit against a former aide who previously filed a federal lawsuit against him for sexual harassment, claiming she defamed him in the process.
“The essence of this action is to seek compensation for the serious harm and losses Governor Cuomo suffered and continues to suffer as a result of Bennett and his agents making false statements on December 9, 2024, alleging Governor Cuomo ‘sexual harassment.'” sexual and punitive damages.
“Bennett’s agent posted this statement on Twitter on December 9, 2024, with the title: “Debra Katz and Charlotte Bennett voluntarily dismiss her case in SDNY U.S. District Court News of the lawsuit against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her, comes after Trump and his attorney made multiple previous public accusations against the governor and have been widely circulated.
Bennett is one of several women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, which ultimately led to sexual harassment by him. Resign in 2021.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a notice that he will file a defamation lawsuit against former aide Charlotte Bennett on Thursday. (Getty Images)
“I would never want to help in any way, and I think the best way I can help right now given the circumstances is if I step aside and let the administration come back to power, so that’s what I’m going to do,” Cuomo said. He denied the charges against him at the time and argued that state investigators from Attorney General Letitia James’ office were biased against him.
“I dropped the ball and called people ‘honey,’ ‘sweetheart,’ and ‘honey.’ I mean it was cute, but women found it outdated and disrespectful,” Cuomo said at the time. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I know people all too well. My sense of humor can be insensitive and offensive.”
“In my mind, I had never crossed a line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the lines had been redrawn,” he added. “I just don’t fully understand the generational and cultural shift. I should understand, there are no excuses.”
Bennett dropped the lawsuit She filed the lawsuit against Cuomo in 2022, just before she testified in the case in December.
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“Since Ms. Bennett filed her lawsuit in federal court in September 2022, former Governor Cuomo has used every opportunity to harass our client, filing an alarming number of invasive discovery requests and making outrageous statements in the complaint. , to embarrass and humiliate her,” said Debra Katz, Bennett’s attorney. The lawsuit was dropped on Dec. 9, she said in a statement. “These include requests for medical records from unrelated experts, including gynecologists, optometrists, etc., as well as medical records from when she was diagnosed more than a decade ago.
“The purpose of this fishing expedition was to unearth material to defame our client and distract from the fact that Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed Ms. Bennett and at least 11 other women,” The investigation concluded that Mr. Cuomo apologized for his behavior at a press conference in March 2021, saying, “I acknowledge that some of the things I said were misinterpreted as an unnecessary flirtation. To some extent, there are people who feel that way. “I’m really sorry about that. His apology was hollow.
Cuomo’s representative, Richard Azzopardi, praised Bennett’s decision to drop the case at the time, saying her claims had wrongly smeared the former governor “for years.”
On August 10, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo prepared to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
“Ms. Bennett’s decision to drop her baseless lawsuit should be viewed as a complete capitulation and a desperate attempt to avoid facing a deluge of exculpatory findings — including contemporaneous texts and videos that were never obtained by the Attorney General’s Office — entirely refuting her accusations.
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“Ms. Bennett has been slandering Governor Cuomo for years, but she abruptly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her testimony to avoid admitting under oath that her accusations were false and her claims baseless,” he said. “If New York State does give in to her public pressure campaign and reach a settlement, it will not be based on the merits of the case, but rather require the public release of all evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never prosecuted anyone Sexual harassment.
In a statement to the Times Union, Katz disputed Cuomo’s notice of claim, calling it “without any merit.”
“There is a long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment,” Katz said. “It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has now clearly chosen to go down this path.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Katz for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Cuomo’s notice said Bennett “cynically exploited” the conversation with Cuomo to “advance” her career and that her “false accusations caused a series of injuries to Governor Cuomo.”
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report
