Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York.
Carlo Allegri/Pool via AP
Andrew Cuomo sued New York Attorney General Letitia James in state court on Thursday.Cuomo is asking that interviews from James’s 2021 sexual harassment report be released.The report led to lawsuits from two women formerly employed by him.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is suing state Attorney General Letitia James in an effort to force her to release interviews from the damaging sexual misconduct investigation that led to his resignation.
Cuomo filed the case against James in New York state court on Thursday, arguing he needs the witness statements in full to defend himself against two sexual harassment lawsuits linked to the investigation.
One lawsuit was filed by an unidentified female state trooper on his detail who said the former governor kissed and touched her inappropriately. Another, brought on by his former executive assistant, Charlotte Bennett, claims Cuomo made unwanted advances while she was employed from May 2019 to June 2020.
A federal judge declined to release similar records in a separate case filed by Cuomo last year.
In a Friday statement to CBS News, Cuomo called the 2021 report a “sham” and claimed that James had tried to “hide” the evidence used in the report.
“This was a political hit job from the beginning to pave the way for Tish’s failed campaign for governor and it’s sad that the courts are needed to step in and order the state’s top lawyer to stop violating the law,” Cuomo said.
The former governor, once a rising star in the Democratic Party, resigned in 2021 after a report by the attorney general’s office concluded he sexually harassed at least 11 women.
The women were members of his staff, state employees, and a state trooper, and the misconduct alleged included unwelcome touching and suggestive sexual comments.
Cuomo has denied the allegations. He and his backers have repeatedly criticized James and the sexual misconduct investigation as unfair. Cuomo is rumored to be contemplating a political comeback.
Cuomo has also tried to use the court system to look into James’s handling of the investigation. In September 2022, Cuomo filed a 48-page complaint with the state’s Attorney Grievance Committee, asking that the courts investigate James. In the complaint, Cuomo accuses the attorney general of promoting a “false narrative” with the evidence gathered.
Representatives for Cuomo and James did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.