The scandals that value former Gov. Andrew Cuomo his job have now value New York state taxpayers roughly $60 million in authorized charges, in keeping with a brand new breakdown by the Workplace of New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
The Comptroller’s workplace has recognized greater than a dozen regulation companies that they are saying acquired funds from the state to work on Cuomo associated controversies. A number of the cash – virtually $18 million, in keeping with DiNapoli’s workplace – paid for personal legal professionals to defend Cuomo and his prime advisors in civil sexual harassment instances.
Hundreds of thousands extra went to attorneys who repped different state companies together with the New York State Police, the Govt Chamber (Governor’s Workplace) and State Well being Division involving probes about nursing house deaths and Cuomo’s $5 million guide deal.
One contract that value the state $6.6 million went to the agency Cleary Gottlieb, which Cuomo spokesman Wealthy Azzopardi says helped finance AG Letitia James’s investigation into Cuomo — not Cuomo’s protection.
Based on the State Comptroller’s workplace, the State up to now has spent $9 million defending Cuomo and prime aides towards a go well with by Charlotte Bennett, $256,000 on a case introduced by Brittany Commisso and $8.6 million defending a federal case filed by a plaintiff recognized as “Trooper 1.” Some Court docket filings within the Trooper 1 case specific issues that Cuomo’s discovery techniques have been “invasive and aggressive,” together with final December in search of to depose as many as 30 non-parties to the Trooper 1 case as a substitute of the extra typical variety of about 10.
With some instances nonetheless in courtroom and prices anticipated to develop, some need DiNapoli to chop off the funds. In a Feb 11 letter obtained by NBC New York, Susan Lerner of Widespread Trigger and Erica Vladimer of the group Harassment Free New York urged DiNapoli to right away pause taxpayer spending on Cuomo’s authorized protection, noting the Comptroller’s “fiduciary duty to protect New York’s taxpayers.”
Two state authorities sources mentioned they’ve little energy to chop off funding for Cuomo’s authorized protection, because it was licensed by a courtroom.
However the letter to DiNapoli says he has authority – and an obligation – to find out whether or not the prices are affordable and conduct an audit.
“The lack of sufficient oversight of reimbursements has enabled Mr. Cuomo to perpetuate the harassment of women he was already found to have harassed by multiple investigations, now through the legal system and at taxpayer expense,” Lerner and Vladimer wrote.
DiNapoli’s workplace has not but responded to NBC New York’s particular questions on whether or not they plan to conduct an audit or rein within the authorized spending associated to those controversies.
Now the problem has caught the eye of NYC mayoral candidate and comptroller Brad Lander, who mentioned his evaluate decided the expenditures totaled about $60 million.
“I have a very simple question for Andrew Cuomo,” Lander mentioned Monday of his new rival within the mayoral race. “Will you promise to not spend a penny extra of their cash in your sexual harassment instances? It’s a sure or no query.”
“We want a mayor who’s in it for New Yorkers, not himself,” Lander added.
On the official launch of Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral marketing campaign in Manhattan on March 2, his longtime, public-facing lawyer Rita Glavin was current, cheering on her consumer in a room principally crammed with union carpenters and painters endorsing him that day.
When approached by NBC New York and different reporters, Glavin confirmed their authorized staff had sought Charlotte Bennett’s gynecological data. Glavin mentioned a confidentiality order prevented her from explaining why the request was justified however insisted it was related, primarily based on one thing an “independent expert” employed by their authorized staff had seen in Bennett’s file.
Bennett’s lawyer Debra Katz has mentioned Cuomo had taken “every opportunity to harass, embarrass and humiliate her client,” citing “requests for medical records for unrelated specialists, including gynecologists, optometrists, and others, as well as medical records dating back more than 10 years ago from when she was a minor.”
Katz referred to as the aggressive authorized techniques a “fishing expedition” designed to smear Bennett and distract from what she mentioned was Cuomo’s harassment of her.
In 2021, New York Legal professional Normal Letitia James concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 ladies. And in a 2024 settlement, Division of Justice Investigators mentioned the previous governor and his employees subjected ladies to a “sexually hostile work environment” and retaliation for complaining about it.
Cuomo disputes the findings of the AG’s report and denies touching anybody inappropriately.
“Governor Cuomo never harassed anyone. We are following the law…” mentioned Wealthy Azzopardi, the ex governor’s longtime spokesman, including that the necessity for a lot of the spending on exterior attorneys was a results of the recusal by the State Legal professional Normal who ordinarly represents state companies in such instances.
Azzopardi additionally mentioned one of many gadgets on the State Comptroller’s record is a $4.3 million contract for Gov. Kathy Hochul to conduct an after-action report on COVID.
A Congressional COVID Subcommittee investigation referred Cuomo to the Division of Justice for prosecution for allegedly making willfully false statements to Congress. The Subcommittee mentioned it had obtained proof that the previous governor had reviewed, drafted and edited sections of an allegedly “independent and peer-reviewed” Well being Division report that undercounted nursing house deaths. Azzopardi and Cuomo have lengthy described the Republican subcommittee investigation as a politically motivated stunt in an election yr.
New York Public Officers Regulation 17 entitles public officers sued of their official capability to a authorized protection if authorized by the AG. In 2022, Cuomo sued James for initially denying him such a tax-funded protection. Then, in 2024 he sued the State Comptroller for refusing to pay for his ongoing authorized battle with James. Cuomo was preventing to acquire unredacted transcripts of witness interviews from her investigation into his therapy of a number of ladies. Cuomo’s staff has insisted the transcripts would finally assist discredit each the AG’s investigation – which they are saying was politically motivated – and in addition discredit Trooper 1, who was a member of the governor’s Protecting Service Unit.
In a federal lawsuit, Trooper 1 claimed Cuomo made her really feel violated with “creepy” habits whereas she was on obligation. She mentioned he ran his finger down her again in an elevator – and on a unique event – moved the palm of his hand throughout her stomach to her hip the place she carried her gun.
In 2021, Cuomo spokesman Azzopardi mentioned Cuomo didn’t recall touching Trooper 1. In response to a request for touch upon the mounting authorized charges, Azzopardi mentioned in an announcement “… the truth is that Trooper 1 decided to Xerox the same discredited AG report that five district attorneys looked at and decided there were no cases to bring.”
Bennett dropped her civil declare towards Cuomo in December, saying she had had sufficient.
“Former Governor Andrew Cuomo can now not use this lawsuit to harass me and my household,” she said in a statement. “His abusive filings and invasive subpoenas are supposed to humiliate and retaliate towards me and those that have supported me during the last 5 years of this residing nightmare. “
In 2021, Bennett mentioned Cuomo had subjected her to undesirable advances and questions on her sexual relationships. Based on Bennett’s federal criticism towards Cuomo “He told her he was ‘lonely,’ wanted a girlfriend who lived in Albany, and was willing to date someone over the age of 21 years old.” Bennett was 25 on the time. Bennett mentioned after reporting the alleged sexual harassment to senior employees, she was transferred to an inferior place.
Cuomo’s spokesman mentioned, “Bennett decided to drop her case on the eve of her deposition, where she was going to be confronted with a mountain of texts and videos she produced during discovery that directly contradicted her claims — a process that her attorneys dragged out for months — adding more to costs.”
Bennett lawyer Katz reminded New Yorkers that in 2021, when he hoped to keep away from impeachment and keep in workplace, Cuomo initially publicly apologized to Bennett for “making anyone feel uncomfortable” and “whatever pain I caused anyone,” including, “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.”
