Andrew Cuomo, once a rising star in the Democratic party, left office in 2021 after a report by Attorney-General Letitia James concluded he sexually harassed at least 11 women.Seth Wenig/The Associated Press
The U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement with the State of New York on Friday to resolve a sexual harassment investigation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, confirming allegations from the damaging misconduct probe that led to the Democrat’s resignation.
The agreement details a series of reforms made after Cuomo left office and outlines additional steps the state will take to change how it handles sexual harassment claims.
Cuomo, once a rising star in the Democratic party, left office in 2021 after a report by attorney-general Letitia James concluded he sexually harassed at least 11 women. He has denied wrongdoing and argued James’ report was driven by politics, intended to force him from office so she could run for governor.
The Justice Department investigation found a similar pattern of sexual misconduct by Cuomo and said he subjected at least 13 state employees to a sexually hostile work environment. It said Cuomo’s staffers failed to adequately report allegations and retaliated against four women who raised complaints. The agency did not release a full report detailing its investigation but instead published a list of its findings.
The settlement undercut Cuomo’s longstanding criticism of James’ probe at a sensitive time, with the former governor rumoured to be considering a political comeback.
“Today, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and created a hostile work environment, confirming what the New York attorney-general’s independent report found over two years ago,” a spokesperson for James said. “Andrew Cuomo can continue to deny the truth and attack these women, but the facts do not lie.”
An attorney for Cuomo said in a statement that the former governor did not sexually harass anyone.
“The DOJ `investigation’ was based entirely on the NYS attorney-general’s deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased, and misleading report. At no point did DOJ even contact Governor Cuomo concerning these matters. This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation,” said Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin.
As part of the settlement, New York State will set up a process for people to lodge complaints against senior officials to a third-party law firm and will provide additional training on how to report harassment and discrimination. In addition, the governor’s office will establish a program dedicated to monitoring potential retaliation against people who file complaints.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who had served as lieutenant governor until Cuomo resigned, said she looks forward to continuing to reform the state’s procedures for addressing and preventing sexual harassment and retaliation.
“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.