Former aide accuses Cuomo of sexual harassment, prompting threat of defamation lawsuit.

On Thursday, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, announced that he would be filing a defamation lawsuit against a former aide who had previously accused him of sexual harassment. The aide had previously filed a federal lawsuit against Cuomo, alleging that he defamed her through the legal process.

A legal notice filed by Cuomo against Bennett on Thursday states that the purpose of this action is to obtain compensatory and punitive damages for the severe injuries and losses that Cuomo has sustained and will continue to suffer as a result of the December 9, 2024 false statement by Bennett and her agents that Cuomo 'sexually harassed' Bennett.

"On December 9, 2024, Bennett's agents tweeted a statement with the headline: "Debra Katz and Charlotte Bennett issued statements on news that Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the SDNY against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her." Bennett reposted the tweet, which received over 90,000 views. The December 9 Defamatory Statement, which was intended to be widely disseminated and made in the wake of Bennett and her agents' numerous prior public accusations against Governor Cuomo, was false and defamatory, and Bennett knew it was false when she made it with the intention of causing harm to Governor Cuomo."

Several women, including Bennett, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, which led to his resignation in 2021.

Cuomo stated that he would never want to be unhelpful and believed the best way he could assist now was by stepping aside and allowing the government to resume governing. Despite denying the accusations against him and arguing that state investigators from the Attorney General's office were biased against him, Cuomo made this statement.

"Cuomo acknowledged that his use of endearing terms like "honey," "sweetheart," and "darling" was meant to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive. He took full responsibility for his actions and admitted that his sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting."

"He admitted that he had never crossed any lines with anyone, but he realized that the line had been redrawn to a greater extent due to generational and cultural shifts. He acknowledged that he should have fully appreciated these shifts and had no excuses."

Bennett dropped her lawsuit against Cuomo in December, just before her deposition in the case.

"Since Ms. Bennett filed suit in federal court in September 2022, former Governor Cuomo has used every opportunity to harass our client with an astonishing number of invasive discovery requests and outrageous statements in pleadings to embarrass and humiliate her."

"The fishing expedition aimed to gather evidence to discredit our client and divert attention from the fact that, as the New York Attorney General's Office determined after an extensive investigation, Mr. Cuomo had sexually harassed Ms. Bennett and at least 11 other women. It is crucial not to lose sight of the fact that before engaging in his multi-year, multi-million dollar legal battle against Ms. Bennett, funded by N.Y. State taxpayers, Mr. Cuomo had apologized for his behavior. At a March 2021 press conference, he expressed regret for making anyone uncomfortable and causing pain and acknowledged that some of his words may have been misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation. However, his apologies were insincere."

Bennett's decision to drop the case was praised by Richard Azzopardi, a representative of Cuomo, who stated that her accusations against the former governor were "falsely smeared" him for years.

The AG's office never obtained contemporaneous texts and videos that completely refute Ms. Bennett's claims against Governor Cuomo, and her decision to drop her baseless lawsuit should be viewed as a complete capitulation and a desperate attempt to avoid being confronted with this evidence.

"Governor Cuomo was falsely accused by Ms. Bennett for years, but she suddenly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her deposition to avoid admitting her allegations were false. If New York State settles with her, it should be on the merits and require the public release of all evidence to reveal the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone."

Cuomo's notice of claim was challenged by Katz, who stated in a Times Union article that it lacks any substance.

"Katz stated that it is disgraceful that Cuomo has resorted to using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment, as there is a long history of this practice."

Katz did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

Bennett allegedly used conversations with Cuomo to advance her career and her false allegations caused harm to Governor Cuomo.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report