Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) sexually harassed a female staffer, including asking about her sex life, and three of his top aides failed to take proper action when they became aware of the abuse, a new federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan charges.
Charlotte Bennett says Cuomo’s harassment also included sexualized comments about her physical appearance and occurred while she was working for him as a briefer and executive assistant between May 2019 and June 2020. Her allegations were previously made public and were part of the probe conducted by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). Cuomo ultimately resigned in August 2021 as he was facing threats of impeachment in the wake of multiple sexual-harassment allegations by Bennett and other women in his office.
Cuomo also assigned her humiliating and demeaning tasks and required her to learn and recite the lyrics of the Irish ballad “Danny Boy” as a way to exert his authority over her, Bennett says in the suit filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
He additionally said he was lonely, wanted a girlfriend who lived in Albany, and was willing to date someone older than 21, according to the suit. Bennett was 25 years old at the time and lived in Albany, the suit says.
Other sex-based harassment included Cuomo challenging her to a push-up contest, asking what people thought about the size of his hands, and singing several lines from the Contours song “Do You Love Me?” to her, Bennett says. The then-governor also asked her if she had been monogamous in her most recent romantic relationship, if she had “trouble” maintaining healthy relationships, and if she enjoyed herself physically during sex, Bennett says.
The suit names as co-defendants Melissa DeRosa, who worked as secretary to the governor; Jill DesRosiers, who was Cuomo’s chief of staff; and Judith Mogul, who was special counsel to the governor. They all failed to report or delayed reporting Cuomo’s harassment of Bennett to the governor’s Office of Employee Relations, as required by the state executive department’s equal employment opportunity handbook, the suit says.
Complaining about the harassment caused her to be immediately transferred to an inferior job, Bennett says. Cuomo and his attorney also continue to retaliate against her by smearing her reputation and otherwise trying to discredit her during press conferences and through dissemination of material on Cuomo’s campaign website, Bennett says.
Cuomo and others enlisted the media in their bid to discredit and smear Bennett, including his brother Chris, who was a CNN anchor at the time, the suit says.
Causes of Action: New York State Human Rights Law; New York City Human Rights Law; equal protection clause of the US Constitution.
Relief: Orders declaring that defendants violated the plaintiff’s rights under various laws; compensatory damages, including for lost salary and employee benefits, loss of future professional opportunities, loss of future income, pain and suffering, and acute emotional distress; punitive damages; pre- and post-judgment interest; attorneys’ fees and court costs.
Response: Glavin PLLC, which has previously represented Cuomo, didn’t immediately respond Thursday to Bloomberg Law’s request for comment.
Attorneys: Katz Banks Kumin LLP and Eisenberg & Schnell LLP represent Bennett.
The case is Bennett v. Cuomo, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:22-cv-07846, complaint filed 9/14/22.
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