In a significant development stemming from allegations of sexual harassment against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Charlotte Bennett, a former aide, has reached a $450,000 settlement with the state of New York. This agreement resolves her lawsuit which accused Cuomo of engaging in sexually inappropriate conduct during his tenure as governor.
Under the settlement terms, Bennett will receive $100,000 for lost pay and personal injury, among other claims. The remaining $350,000 will cover attorney fees and other legal costs according to The New York Times. While the agreement carries no admission of liability by the state, it notably includes a provision barring Bennett from seeking future employment within the governor's office.
The deal concludes a contentious legal offensive by Bennett against Cuomo and the state, which at one point included a federal lawsuit against the former governor personally. That lawsuit, however, was dropped last December. Cuomo, now a leading contender in the New York City mayoral race, has repeatedly disputed Bennett's claims, and once indicated he would pursue a defamation suit against her, a position supported by Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, who said that the settlement vindicated the former governor. "If anyone ever questioned whether this situation was political from the start, today's taxpayer-funded nuisance settlement is proof positive," Azzopardi stated, as reported by Gothamist.
Despite the settlement, Cuomo remains embroiled in legal challenges from two additional women alleging sexual misconduct. One, an unnamed state trooper, and the other, Brittany Commisso, both claim Cuomo acted inappropriately while they were in his employ. Meanwhile, New York taxpayers have already shouldered around $18 million in legal expenses related to the trio of lawsuits against Cuomo, as documented by the state comptroller's office. This, coupled with the new settlement cost, has stoked criticism over the financial impact on the state's funds. “This settlement was mutually agreed upon by the parties and allows the State to minimize further cost to the taxpayers,” Avi Small, a spokesperson for current Governor Kathy Hochul, stated in some endeavor to address these concerns, as per Gothamist.
As the scandal continues to impact Cuomo's political future, the allegations made by Bennett have been further substantiated by investigations conducted by the New York Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice. Details of the settlement were initially brought to light by Law 360, before being further reported by The New York Times.
