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Cuomo, age 67, filed the lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, Dec. 19 against former staffer Charlotte Bennett, a Northern Westchester native, who accused the former governor of sexual harassment in 2021.
Bennett had previously filed a federal lawsuit against former Gov. Cuomo in September 2022. However, she voluntarily dropped the lawsuit on Monday, Dec. 9, saying in a joint statement with her attorney that the former governor had used the lawsuit to harass her and her family.
"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," said Bennett's attorney Debra S. Katz in the statement.
Katz added, "These include requests for medical records for unrelated specialists, including gynecologists, optometrists, and others, as well as medical records dating back more than ten years ago from when she was a minor."
"His abusive filings and invasive subpoenas are meant to humiliate and retaliate against me and those who have supported me over the last five years of this living nightmare," Bennett said in her part of the statement, adding, "Throughout this extraordinarily painful two year case, I’ve many times believed that I’d be better off dead than endure more of his litigation abuse, which has caused extraordinary pain and expense to my family and friends.
"I desperately need to live my life. That’s the choice I am making today," she said.
In his lawsuit, Cuomo seeks "compensatory and punitive damages for the serious injuries and losses" that he suffered as a result of Bennett's accusations of sexual harassment, which he alleges were "false and defamatory."
He also alleges Bennett dropped her lawsuit "to shield the overwhelming evidence of her false claims from ever becoming public," according to court documents.
The lawsuit also alleges that Bennett's allegations "materially contributed to a cascade of harm" to the former governor, who resigned on Aug. 23, 2021, following a report on the alleged sexual harassment released by New York Attorney General Letitia James in the same month.
According to James' report, Cuomo engaged in unwanted groping, kissing, and hugging, and made inappropriate comments to both state and non-state employees, including a New York State trooper who was assigned to his protective detail.
In a statement on Thursday, Dec. 19, Katz said there is a "long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment," CBS News reported.
"It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has apparently now chosen to go down that path," Katz continued, according to CBS.
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