Disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo says any alleged sexual harassment was just part of the job!
The former three-term governor sued state Attorney General Letitia James — one year to the date he announced he was stepping down amid the scandal.
The action seeks money for what Cuomo claims are unpaid legal bills in connection to a federal lawsuit filed by a state trooper who alleges Cuomo sexually harassed her.
The Aug. 10-filed case hinges on whether or not the alleged behavior was part of Cuomo’s official duties as governor.
“A state officer is entitled to a defense in any civil action arising out of any alleged act or omission which occurred or is alleged in the complaint to have occurred while the employee was acting within the scope of his public employment or duties,” reads the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by Cuomo on Wednesday.
The anonymous trooper is identified in a scathing report by James only as “Trooper 1.” The James independent probe documented the claims of nearly a dozen women, many of them staffers, against Cuomo while he was governor.
Cuomo denied the allegations while announcing his resignation one week later amid multiple scandals, including scrutiny of his handling of COVID-19 nursing home deaths and his use of staff to write a book on the pandemic while in office for a $5.1 million book deal.
His legal team is now arguing that taxpayers ought to pay for him to fight a civil case in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn brought by the trooper, who claims Cuomo made suggestive comments and touched her inappropriately while she served on his protective detail.
Her federal suit seeks unspecified monetary damages from state taxpayers.
James has argued the alleged sexual harassment falls outside of the “scope of his public employment” defined by a state law outlining how public officials can be reimbursed for legal expenses.
“Andrew Cuomo is trying to force New Yorkers to pay his legal bills because he believes sexual harassment was within his ‘scope of employment’ as governor. Sexually harassing young women who work for you is not part of anyone’s job description. Taxpayers should not have to pony up for legal bills that could reach millions of dollars so Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer can attack survivors of his abuse,” a James spokeswoman said in a statement.
Campaign finance records filed last month show Cuomo’s campaign war chest has dwindled in recent months to just $10.6 million from $18 million a year ago in part due to ongoing legal bills.
James has approved reimbursing former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa for legal bills connected to the case brought by the trooper, which her office argues were squarely within the scope of her official day job.
The new suit filed by Cuomo against James – first reported by the Times Union of Albany – rehashes numerous grievances by the former governor against his erstwhile political ally and her report, which he and political allies argue was tinged with political bias.
An Assembly impeachment inquiry also concluded Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women.
“Governor Cuomo did not sexually harass anyone,” Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin said in a statement.
“The petition Governor Cuomo filed yesterday is about enforcing the law and ensuring fairness and transparency—something the AG has repeatedly denied him,” she added.
While the AG report provided new insights into how the governor engaged with female staff members and other women, it did not result in any criminal charges against the three-term governor.
“The report has been reviewed by five separate district attorneys and every single one has declined to move forward based on it — it was nothing more than a political document and holds no legal weight. Their political games continue,” Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said in a statement.
