Former Governor of New York On Thursday, Andrew Cuomo filed a notice that he will file a defamation lawsuit against a former aide. It had previously filed a lawsuit in federal court against him for sexual harassment. Claiming that she defamed him through this process.
“The nature of this action is to recover compensatory and punitive damages for the serious injury and loss that Governor Cuomo has suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of his false testimony as of. December 9, 2024 by Bennett and her representatives that Governor Cuomo ‘sexually harassed, harassed’ Bennett,” the legal notice that Cuomo filed against Charlotte Bennett on Thursday reads.
“Bennett’s representative tweeted this statement on December 9, 2024, with the subject line, “Debra Katz and Charlotte. Bennett released a statement regarding the news that Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit in U.S. District Court in SDNY against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her.” Bennett reposted her tweet. her representative which has been viewed more than 90,000 times. The defamatory statement on December 9, which was intended to be and was widely published and published therein The public accusations made by Bennett and her staff on multiple previous occasions against Governor Cuomo It is considered false and defamatory. And Bennett made it known that it was false and intended to cause harm to Governor Cuomo.”
Bennett is one of several women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. which ultimately contributed to him Resign in 2021
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo filed notice that he will file a defamation lawsuit against former aide Charlotte Bennett on Thursday. (Getty Images)
“I don’t want to be helped in any way, and I think that in any situation The best way I can help right now is if I step aside and let the government run again, so that’s what I’m going to do,” Cuomo said at the time, denying the allegations against him and arguing that investigators of the state from Attorney General Letitia James’ office is biased against him.
“I accidentally called people ‘darling,’ ‘darling,’ and ‘darling.’ I meant it as darling. But women find it outdated and offensive,” Cuomo said at the time. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I’m too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and offensive.”
“In my heart, I never crossed the line with anyone. But I don’t know to what extent that line has been redrawn,” he added. “There is a generational and cultural shift that I don’t fully understand. And I should have changed Without excuses.”
Bennett Her lawsuit was dismissed. against Cuomo, which she filed in 2022 in December ahead of her deposition in the case.
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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 with a slew of invasive discovery requests and outrageous statements requesting her shaming. and embarrassment,” Debra Katz, Bennett’s attorney, said in a statement as the lawsuit closed on December 1, 9. “This includes requesting medical records for an unrelated expert. including gynecologist optometrist, etc., as well as medical records dating back more than 10 years, from when she was a minor.”
“This fishing expedition was designed to dredge up material to stain our customers. and distract from the facts that Mr. Cuomo did, as the New York Attorney General’s Office concluded after a lengthy investigation. that it had sexually assaulted Ms. Bennett and at least 11 other women. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that, before engaging in a multi-year, multi-year legal war against Ms. Bennett, Millions of dollars Mr. Cuomo apologizes for his behavior At a press conference in March 2021, he apologized for ‘making anyone feel uncomfortable’ and ‘no matter how much pain I have caused’ and said, ‘I accept that some of the things I said were misinterpreted because Unwanted flirtation felt like that. I, I’m really sorry. Regarding that matter, his apology was empty.”
Richard Azzopardi, a representative for Cuomo, praised Bennett’s decision to drop the case at the time. saying that her claims “Falsely defiles the former governor” “For many years”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation on Aug. 8, on Sept. 10, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
“Ms. Bennett’s decision to withdraw her baseless lawsuit should be seen as a complete surrender and a desperate attempt to avoid facing a mountain of exclusionary discovery. blame This includes contemporaneous text messages and videos that the AG’s office has never received, which completely refute her claims, Governor Cuomo,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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“After years of falsely defaming Governor Cuomo, Bennett suddenly dropped federal charges before being removed from office. To avoid having to admit under oath that her accusations were false, And her claims are without merit,” he said. “If New York submits to the public pressure campaign and comes to an agreement The state will not receive good results. and should require all evidence to be made public. So that New Yorkers will finally know the truth. Governor Cuomo has never sexually harassed anyone.”
Katz responded to Cuomo’s call to action in a statement to the Times Union, saying they “have no merit.”
“There is a long history of using defamation cases to silence and punish those making sexual harassment allegations,” Katz said. “It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has now chosen to go down that path.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Katz for comment. But did not receive an immediate response.
Cuomo’s notice alleges that Bennett “used disparaging conversations” with Cuomo to “advance” her career and that her “false allegations substantially contributed to the damage done to Governor Cuomo.”
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
