Former Andrew Cuomo aide files lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and abuse
A former aide to ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is filing a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual harassment and abuse. Brittany Commisso, one of the 11 women whose claims of harassment were substantiated by an August 2021 report by the state’s attorney general, is filing suit against the former governor under New York’s Adult Survivors Act.
The lawsuit alleges “pervasive abusive conduct” and “continuous sexual harassment” during her employment as his assistant. This comes six months after the state law opened a one-year window for adult survivors of sexual offenses to sue their alleged abusers. Cuomo is one of several high-profile figures who were sued in the final hours before the law was set to expire.
Cuomo has vehemently denied Commisso’s claims, with his attorney calling the lawsuit an attempted “cash grab.” The lawsuit also lists Cuomo, the State of New York, and another former Cuomo aide as defendants and seeks damages for the “substantial personal injuries and economic loss plaintiff suffered.”
Commisso was one of the women who spoke to investigators hired by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by the former governor. The report triggered Cuomo’s eventual resignation in August 2021, a week after it was released.
The summons filed by Commisso alleges that Cuomo’s behavior included “unwelcome sexual advances” and “sexual comments” about her appearance and personal life. It also claims she was subject to “objectively unreasonable and abusive” behavior, which she believed she was “required to suffer to maintain her employment.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Commisso suffered retaliation after rejecting Cuomo’s attempt to engage in sexual acts, and for later reporting the behavior. It further claims she was demoted by the then lieutenant governor, now governor, Kathy Hochul, and moved to “demeaning tasks” in Hochul’s office.
Cuomo’s reignited political aspirations have also surfaced, with reports that he is gauging the viability of a potential mayoral bid against the backdrop of a pending FBI investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams. This comes as Adams faces accusations of a 1993 sexual assault, to which he has firmly denied.
In response to the news of Cuomo’s potential political bid, Commisso said, “It disgusts me that Andrew Cuomo is even considering running for public office in the wake of Mayor [Eric] Adams’ alleged sexual harassment when he himself will not accept responsibility or even acknowledge his sexual harassment of me, aside from numerous other victims, while the governor of our state.”
The State of New York is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, and CNN has reached out for comment.