ALBANY, N.Y. — Former Governor of New York Andreas Cuomo filed a legal notice Thursday that he plans to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment.
The submit accused former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming Cuomo in a Dec. 9 statement that said the former governor sexually harassed her.
Bennett emerged in 2021 as the second woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, claiming he subjected her to invasive questions about her personal life and sexual relationships. Cuomo denies Bennett’s allegations. She later sued the alleged misconduct in separate cases in state and federal court.
Cuomo Resigned 2021 after an attorney general report found he had sexually harassed at least 11 women.
Earlier this month, Bennett dropped her federal lawsuit against Cuomo ahead of her impeachment. In a statement announcing the case was being dismissed, a law firm representing Bennett said Cuomo “sexually harassed” her. Bennett reposted the statement on the social platform X.
Cuomo’s lawyers wrote Thursday that the statement was “false and defamatory, and Bennett made this statement knowing that it was false and intended to harm Governor Cuomo.”
His lawyers added that “Cuomo fully intends to clear his name and ensure that Bennett and her agents will never again repeat the lie that he sexually harassed Bennet.”
According to the filing, Cuomo is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Bennett’s attorney said Thursday that a Cuomo defamation lawsuit has no merit.
“There is a long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment. It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has now apparently chosen to take that path,” said attorney Debra S. Katz.
Bennett’s lawsuit in state court is ongoing.
A separate investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Cuomo had submitted at least 13 state employees to a sexually hostile work environment and that his staffers retaliated against four women who raised complaints.
Cuomo, a Democrat, has denied the allegations and dismissed the investigations as political slander. In the years since his resignation, he has worked to rebuild his image and return to political office.
Rumor has it that he is considering running for mayor of New York City.