19 December 2024: Cuomo Sues Woman Who Accused Him of Sexual Harassment for Defamation

Andrew Cuomo sues woman who accused him of sexual harassment for defamation

Andrew M. Cuomo and his New York state taxpayer-funded legal team filed a defamation suit against Charlotte Bennett, just nine days after Bennett withdrew her federal lawsuit against Cuomo.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a lawsuit Thursday against a former aide who alleged he sexually harassed her in 2020. His legal filing came just days after she withdrew her own lawsuit against him.

In the filing, Cuomo's lawyers claimed Charlotte Bennett, a former executive assistant in his office, lied about him making sexual advances toward her.

"Governor Cuomo did not make any sexual advances toward Bennett and did not sexually harass her," his lawyers wrote in a notice filed in New York state court on Thursday.

Bennett was the second woman to accuse the then-governor of sexual harassment, which she said included telling her he was "lonely" and asking her if she would be open to sex with an older man. She described Cuomo as "a textbook abuser" who made her "deeply uncomfortable."

After Bennett went public with her allegations in March 2021, Cuomo held a press conference where he said he felt "embarrassed" and that he "never knew at the time I was making anyone feel uncomfortable."...

Bennett's decision to drop her case before testifying under oath in depositions was cited by Cuomo's legal team as a motivation for their going forward with their defamation claim:

In their filing today, Cuomo's attorneys note that their discovery requests fell "under the rules that govern all federal lawsuits. They alleged Bennett dropped her suit to avoid being deposed and to "shield the overwhelming evidence of her false claims from ever becoming public."

Cuomo's notice said "Bennett's claims were … exposed as a sham through the discovery process."

Cuomo's attorneys appear to be using especially aggressive tactics against Bennett, perhaps hoping to affect the outcome of other sexual harassment court cases pending against Cuomo. Cuomo's codefendants in other lawsuits have used similar legal tactics.

This entry was added to the timeline on 1 March 2025.

10 December 2024: Second Woman Accusing Cuomo of Sexual Harassment Drops Her Federal Lawsuit

Andrew Cuomo sex harass accuser drops lawsuit before she’s set for deposition but takes vicious parting shot: ‘Better off dead’

Charlotte Bennett, the second woman to come forward to accuse Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment, dropped her federal case. The following excerpt summarizes the basic story:

A former aide accusing ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment has decided to drop her federal lawsuit, just days before she was due to give a marathon deposition.

Charlotte Bennett announced that she had voluntarily withdrawn her lawsuit against Cuomo late Monday and claimed the former executive had used “unlimited” taxpayer funds meant for his defense to attack her to the point that she felt she’d be “better off dead than endure more of his litigation abuse.”

“Andrew Cuomo is going to claim this as some kind of victory, which should be viewed, of course, as pathetic,” said Erica Vladimer, co founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group. “Instead, New Yorkers will see him for what he is: an abusive, empty pit of a man who wasted $25 million of taxpayer money to cover up his own mistakes.”

Just days ago, The Post reported that Cuomo had sought a gag order to prevent Bennett from publicly discussing the $28 million in taxpayer funds paid out to defend him and others related to his cases, money to which the former governor is legally entitled.

Cuomo's lawyers delivered their opinion on Bennett's decision to drop her case:

“Ms. Bennett’s decision to drop her baseless lawsuit should be viewed as a complete capitulation and a desperate attempt to avoid being confronted with the mountains of exculpatory discovery — including contemporaneous texts and videos that the AG’s office never obtained — that completely refute her claims against Governor Cuomo,” said Cuomo lawyers Rita Glavin and Theresa Trzaskoma in a statement.

In dropping her case, Bennett avoided testifying under oath, which raises questions about her previous statements. Similar questions arose when Cuomo chose to resign in disgrace as New York's state governor rather than face potential impeachment by New York's state legislature related to the allegations of sexual harassment advanced against him by at least ten other women in addition to Bennett.

The Albany Times-Union reports Bennett will continue her lawsuit against the State of New York.

This entry was added to the timeline on 1 March 2025.