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Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo dismisses ‘political' $450K sex-harass settlement, suggests admin helped ‘save lives' during COVID
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday brushed off a $450,000 taxpayer-funded settlement over sex-harass allegations against him — while suggesting his administration helped do the 'impossible'' to 'save lives'' during COVID. 'I said when it started from the beginning that [the sex lawsuit] was all political, and that's the way it turned out,' Cuomo, 67, told The Post outside Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica, Queens, where he had just delivered a brief address at the house of worship to mark Easter Sunday. 'I was dropped from the suit, so it was up to the state. The state did a settlement, which was basically settling a nuisance suit — sometimes it [costs] more to litigate than to settle. But it was all politics,' he said. Asked for his thoughts about how New Yorkers must now foot the bill for the settlement, Cuomo responded, 'That's why you can't politicize these things. 'If you start allowing political lawsuits and claims, then the taxpayers are gonna be paying a lot of money,' he said before wishing reporters a happy Easter and getting into the driver's seat of a black Dodge. Cuomo has persistently maintained his innocence against a slew of sexual-harassment claims. Cuomo stepped down from office in August 2021 amid the sexual-harassment scandal and claims that his administration hid the true number of state nursing-home deaths involving COVID during the pandemic. His administration was blamed for scores of COVID deaths because of its policy of moving infected patients into nursing homes, where some of the state's most vulnerable population was, when hospitals became overcrowded. The former governor, who is running for New York City mayor, told the church crowd Sunday that there is 'too much negativity' these days — 'too much us vs. them rather than we. 'Let us rise above the chaos and the clamor so America may hear its better angels,' he said. 'New York City has always been in the process of renewal and betterment. You knock us down, we get up stronger than ever before. You knock us down on 911, we get up stronger than before. You hit us with Hurricane Sandy, we come back stronger than ever before. 'You hit us with COVID, life and death, we come together as a community and do what they said was impossible, and we save lives.' In the case of the nearly half-million-dollar sex-harass settlement involving him, Charlotte Bennett, 29, a former assistant to Cuomo when he was governor, filed suit against the state in March 2023. She alleged that it failed to act to address her complaint that Cuomo subjected her to degrading sexual harassment on the job and accused her of lying when she came forward with the accusations. She was awarded the settlement Friday. She will personally receive $100,000, while the other $350,000 will go for her lawyers and legal costs, all of which will be paid out of state coffers. As part of the settlement, Bennett agree not to seek further employment in the state Executive Chamber. Cuomo resigned two weeks after a report by the state attorney general's office that determined he had sexually harassed 11 women and created a hostile work environment in his office — a finding later backed by the federal prosecutors. All told, New York has incurred upward of $9 million to defend Cuomo against Bennett's claims, according to public records. In December, Cuomo filed a notice that he would sue Bennett for defamation. A civil complaint detailing his allegations has yet to be filed. He is currently sitting comfortably in the lead among a crowded field vying for New York City mayor. The Democratic primary will be June 24.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY taxpayers on the hook for $450K as Cuomo sexual harassment accuser settles with the state — just months ahead of mayoral primary
A former state employee who accused Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment clinched a $450,000 settlement — with taxpayers set to foot the massive bill as the former governor makes a comeback bid for New York City mayor. Charlotte Bennett, who served as an assistant to Cuomo when he was governor, officially ended a long-running lawsuit Friday against the Empire State. She is slated to receive $100,000 personally with another $350,000 earmarked for her lawyers and legal costs — all of which will be shelled out by the state. The settlement caps a bruising battle with Cuomo, including a separate federal lawsuit that Bennett later dropped in which her lawyer contended the ex-gov's attorneys had aggressively sought her gynecological records. 'Ms. Bennett is looking forward to moving on with her life,' Bennett's attorney Debra Katz said in a statement Friday about the settlement. The scandal-plagued Cuomo's various bids to clear his name have been costly for New Yorkers. As of March, taxpayers had shelled out nearly $60 million in legal costs to defend against various scandals that embroiled the Cuomo administration, according to a report by the state Comptroller's Office. The tab to defend Cuomo and the state each against Bennett's claims ran upward of $9 million – and a total of $14.3 million was approved had she not settled, according to public records. Bennett, now 29, was the second woman after former gubenatorial aide Lindsey Boylan, to publicly accuse the thrice-elected Democrat of sexual harassment in 2021. She filed suit against the state in March 2023, alleging it failed to act to address her complaint that Cuomo subjected her to degrading sexual harassment on the job and accused her of lying when she came forward with the accusations. As part of the settlement, Bennett — who worked as a top assistant and health policy adviser to Cuomo between May 2019 and June 2020 — agreed not to seek further employment in the state Executive Chamber. The settlement gives Bennett lump sum payouts of $40,000 for post traumatic stress disorder and narcolepsy and $35,000 for emotional distress. The state did not own up to any wrongdoing, or liability, in the agreement, according to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Post. 'This settlement was mutually agreed upon by the parties and allows the State to minimize further cost to the taxpayers,' Avi Small, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, said in a statement. Katz maintained her client's allegations were supported by findings from New York Attorney General Letitia James' Office and from the US Department of Justice. But Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi touted the settlement as vindicating the former governor. 'If anyone ever questioned whether this situation was political from the start, today's taxpayer funded nuisance settlement is proof positive,' he claimed. Cuomo in December filed a notice that he would sue Bennett for defamation. That case is still pending but a civil complaint detailing his allegations has yet to be filed. Bennett initially filed her federal lawsuit in September 2022 against Cuomo, his top lieutenant Melissa DeRosa and two other aides — but dropped that case in December just days before she was set to give a sworn deposition about her claims. Bennett said at the time that Cuomo, 67, used the 'unlimited' taxpayer funds at his disposal for his legal defense to attack her, causing her to feel she would be 'better off dead than endure more of this litigation abuse.' Cuomo's legal team made evidence requests for Bennett's medical records, including gynecologists, optometrists and from when she was a minor, Katz asserted at the time. The former governor's attorneys contended that Bennett withdrew the lawsuit to avoid having to admit under oath that her accusations were false. Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group established by former legislative staffers, slammed Cuomo's successor Hochul for how she handled the case. 'Hochul spent $2.5 million dragging Charlotte Bennett through court proceedings,' Vladimer said, referring to the law firm's original contract. 'Is this any different the way Cuomo would have handled it? 'No amount of money may ever make up for the trauma Charlotte endured, and this unnecessary prolonging of legal proceedings could have easily been avoided.' Bennett's accusations against Cuomo remained the same in both the case against the state and her federal suit naming him. She alleged that Cuomo made inappropriate comments to her and that DeRosa and other staffers tried to sweep the accusations under the rug by transferring her to a lower position. During one June 5, 2020, meeting in the governor's office Cuomo allegedly made fun of her wearing a mask during COVID-19, saying that when she breathed it reminded him of the monsters in the movie 'Predator,' her suit claimed She 'laughed uncomfortably' — before he prophetically responded: 'If I were investigated for sexual harassment, I would have to say I told her she looked like a monster,' the suit alleged. Bennett also claimed Cuomo asked her invasive questions about her sex life and told her he was 'lonely' and willing to date someone over 21, the suit alleged. She was 25 at the time. Cuomo stepped down in August 2021 amid the sexual harassment scandal and claims that his office hid the true number of nursing home deaths from COVID during the pandemic. His resignation came two weeks after a report by the attorney general's office found he had sexually harassed 11 women and created a hostile work environment in his office — a finding which was later backed by the federal prosecutors. Cuomo has vehemently maintained his innocence and has attempted to return to power with a run for New York City's mayor. He's currently the frontrunner in the crowded June 24 Democratic primary. Other suits filed over the sexual harassment claims include one from a state trooper who accused Cuomo of touching her inappropriately. That legal battle has cost the state $8.6 million so far, according to Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office. Another $11.7 million has been spent on state investigations, including into Cuomo's handling of the COVID pandemic and his notorious $5 million pandemic book deal, as well as to cover the cost of defending him in impeachment proceedings. Former executive assistant Brittany Commisso, who accused Cuomo of groping her, also has a case against the ex-gov still pending in state court. Boylan, who accused Cuomo of sexual harassment in December 2020, lauded the fact that Bennett would receive some recompense. 'I am glad the state finally did what Andrew Cuomo will not – accept responsibility for the harm his harassment caused Charlotte. Proud of her courage always,' she said Friday. — Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy and Hannah Fierick
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuomo is ‘landlords' favorite candidate,' lefty NYC mayoral hopefuls and tenants say, slamming ex-gov's housing record
Andrew Cuomo is 'landlords' favorite candidate,' his lefty opponents in the New York City mayoral race and tenant advocates claimed Friday — while ripping the ex-governor over his housing record. The slate of Democratic primary candidates endorsed by the left-wing Working Families Party and advocates held a joint rally outside City Hall to shed light on what they said were Cuomo's shady housing policies while in office. 'We're here today because your landlord's favorite mayoral candidate is once again trying to position himself as a leader of our city,' said Joanne Grell, co-chair of the Freeze the Rent campaign. Another group, the NYS Tenant Bloc, harped that when Cuomo sat in the Executive Chamber, rents increased 33% in the state, while homelessness skyrocketed 50% in the city, according to a census data report from 2021. Reports released by the non-profit organization also called out the thrice-elected governor for extending loopholes in city rent laws in 2011 and 2015, which the group said resulted in tens of thousands of apartments losing their rent control status. 'Unfortunately, Andrew Cuomo cannot give a rats ass about the lives or future or housing justice for every single New Yorker — he is a corrupt ego maniac who shows time and time again that he cares about only one thing and that is Andrew Cuomo,' said city Comptroller Brad Lander, one of the mayoral hopefuls at the rally. Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani — a state Assemblyman from Queens who is currently polling second behind Cuomo in the primary — brought attention to the 2.3 million dollars in donations from real estate bigwigs that the former gov has accepted through his super PAC. 'We are here to speak about the record of disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo, a governor who has accepted more than two million dollars from real estate over the course of this very short run,' Mamdani said. He also skewered Cuomo over recent accusations that Cuomo's campaign used ChatGPT on its typo-riddled housing plan. 'Cuomo looked at polling that said that more than 90% of New Yorkers were concerned seriously about affordability, more than 88% about affordable housing, and said, you know what? let's have Chat GPT write our housing platform,' he snarked. Lander and Mamdani have both pledged to not take money from corporate PACs or lobbyists. In 2019, Cuomo signed the tenant-friendly Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA), which expanded rent control rights. Despite that, there was an 8% decrease in rent-stabilized apartments, totaling 66,000 units lost during his last year as governor in 2021, The City has reported. Cuomo later signaled he regretted signing the bill. His spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Politco in March: 'While well-intentioned, the 2019 bill had unintended consequences in some places — specifically changes involving MCI and IAI repairs' — referring to regulations placed on how much landlords can raise rents — even if they've made repairs. In response to Friday's rally, Azzopardi said: 'Governor Cuomo has a decades-long record of fighting for tenant rights and protecting renters. As governor he created a tenant protection unit to fight for renters and crack down on bad actors, as well has launched a comprehensive program to finance 100,000 affordable housing units and 6,000 supportive housing units across New York.' Azzopardi noted Cuomo's work as Housing and Urban Development secretary in former President Bill Clinton's administration. 'New Yorkers know he's the candidate with the experience and the record to help fix what's broken in this city and they are not going to be swayed by this gaslighting from far left political operatives and a clown car of career politicians with no vision or achievements of their own,' he said.
