(The Center Square) — The Department of Justice has settled with the New York Executive Chamber after a federal investigation found that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed more than a dozen current and former state employees.
The settlement, which is part of a civil rights settlement with Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, concluded that he violated federal Title VII rules against discrimination and retaliation by sexually harassing 13 women between 2013 and 2021 when he stepped down from office.
The Justice Department said Cuomo and his staff engaged in a “pattern or practice of discrimination against female employees based on sex” and repeatedly subjected women in his office “to non-consensual sexual contact, ogling and gender-based nicknames. Cuomo’s staff were “aware of the conduct and retaliated against four of the women he harassed” the DOJ concluded.
“The conduct in the Executive Chamber under the former governor, the state’s most powerful elected official, was especially egregious because of the stark power differential involved and the victims’ lack of avenues to report and redress harassment,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
As part of the settlement, Hochul has agreed to expand the executive office’s human resources department and create new policies and procedures for reporting and training for anti-retaliation programs.
Hochul, who pushed through a series of reforms in response to the scandal, issued a statement saying she was “pleased” that the Justice Department has acknowledged the significance of her administration’s efforts to deal with the “culture of harassment” during her predecessor’s tenure in the governor’s office.
“The moment I took office, I knew I needed to root out the culture of harassment that had previously plagued the Executive Chamber and implement strong policies to promote a safe workplace for all employees, and took immediate action to do so,” Hochul said.
Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, criticized the DOJ settlement as “deeply flawed” and reiterated the former governor’s denial that he sexually harassed anyone during his tenure as governor.
“The DOJ ‘investigation’ was based entirely on the NYS Attorney General’s deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased and misleading report,” she said in a statement. “At no point did DOJ even contact Governor Cuomo concerning these matters. This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation.”
Cuomo’s spokesman Rich Azzopardi also ripped the settlement, saying it was “not worth the paper it’s printed on” and pointing to a clause in the agreement stating that it “shall not constitute in adjudication or finding on the merits of the case.”
“It’s no coincidence that Breon Peace — Chuck Schumer’s handpicked U.S. attorney for the Eastern District who signed off on this meaningless agreement — was Joon Kim’s law partner, while Kim was leading AG James’ since discredited report,” he said.
But Attorney General Letitia James’ office issued a statement saying the settlement confirms the findings of an independent investigation conducted two years ago, which alleged Cuomo had sexually harassed several women during his tenure as governor.
“Andrew Cuomo can continue to deny the truth and attack these women, but the facts do not lie,” the AG’s office said.
Once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, Cuomo resigned in 2021 following a report by the attorney general’s office, which concluded that he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women.
Cuomo, rumored to be considering a run for New York City mayor, faces several sexual harassment lawsuits. One was filed by a New York state trooper in February 2022, who said Cuomo also discriminated against her based on sex and retaliation. Another lawsuit was filed by Charlotte Bennett, a former aide, who accuses Cuomo of groping her twice.
Last week, he filed a lawsuit against James seeking details from her sexual misconduct investigation that led to his resignation.
