ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday filed a legal notice that he intends to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment.
The filing accuses former aide Charlotte Bennett of defaming Cuomo in a Dec. 9 statement that said the former governor sexually harassed her.
Bennett came forward in 2021 as the second woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, alleging he subjected her to invasive questions about her personal life and sexual relationships. Cuomo denies Bennett’s allegations. She later sued over the alleged misconduct in separate cases in state and federal court.
Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a report from the state attorney general found he sexually harassed at least 11 women.
Earlier this month, Bennett dropped her federal lawsuit against Cuomo before she was to be deposed. In a statement announcing the case was being dropped, a law firm representing Bennett said Cuomo “sexually harassed” her. Bennett reposted the statement on the social platform X.
Cuomo’s attorneys wrote on Thursday that the statement “was false and defamatory, and Bennett made it knowing full well that it was false and intending to cause harm to Governor Cuomo.”
His lawyers added that “Cuomo fully intends to clear his name and to ensure that Bennett and her agents never again repeat the falsehood that he sexually harassed Bennet.”
Cuomo is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to the filing.
Bennett’s attorney on Thursday said a defamation case from Cuomo 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 apparently now chosen to go down 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 subjected 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 has dismissed the investigations as political smears. He has spent the years since his resignation working to rehabilitate his image and hint at a return to political office.
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He is rumored to be considering a run for mayor of New York City.