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The former aide, Brittany Commisso, had sued Cuomo and the
state, alleging sexual harassment from the then-governor and
retaliation against her after reporting the incidents. The
allegations were part of a barrage similar misconduct claims
that forced Cuomo to resign as governor in 2021.
Commisso's lawyers said the settlement “is a complete
vindication of her claims” and that Commisso is "glad to be able
to move forward with her life."
The settlement came as Cuomo is in the midst of a so-far
bruising political comeback with a run for mayor of New York
City. Cuomo lost the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani by
more than 12 percentage points and this week relaunched his
campaign to run in the general election as an independent
candidate, beginning a potentially uphill battle in a heavily
Democratic city where support is coalescing behind Mamdani.
Cuomo, who has denied wrongdoing, has been dogged by the scandal
during his campaign for mayor.
“The settlement is not a vindication, it is capitulation to
avoid the truth," Cuomo’s lawyers said Friday in a statement in
which they called Commisso’s allegations “false.”
The attorneys, Rita Glavin and Theresa Trzaskoma, added that
they “oppose the dismissal of Ms. Commisso’s lawsuit.”
“Until the truth is revealed, the lawsuit should not be
dismissed,” they said in the statement.
Cuomo resigned as governor after a report from the state
attorney general determined that he had sexually harassed at
least 11 women, with some alleging unwanted kissing and
touching, as well as remarks about their appearances and sex
lives.
Commisso filed her lawsuit in late 2023, just before the
expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, a special law that
created a yearlong suspension of the usual time limit to sue
over an alleged sexual assault.
She later filed a criminal complaint accusing Cuomo of groping
her but a local district attorney declined to prosecute, citing
lack of sufficient evidence.
The Associated Press doesn’t identify people who say they have
been sexually assaulted unless they decide to tell their stories
publicly, as Commisso has done.
Anthony Hogrebe, a spokesperson for current Gov. Kathy Hochul,
said Friday that the state "is pleased to have settled this
matter in a way that allows us to minimize further costs to
taxpayers.”
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