NYS settles sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former aide to Andrew M. Cuomo
Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, participates in an interview in Manhattan on Oct. 12, 2021. Credit: AP/John Minchillo
ALBANY — New York State on Friday agreed to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former aide to ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for $450,000, saying the mutual agreement will save further costs to taxpayers.
Charlotte Bennett had sued the state, claiming it didn’t take enough action in response to the alleged harassment. Her allegations against Cuomo helped trigger a string of other harassment claims against him which, along with an impeachment investigation including multiple other issues, led to Cuomo’s resignation from office in 2021.
Under terms of the deal, Bennett will receive $100,000. The rest covers her attorneys’ fees. In total, the payment is to cover lost pay, personal injury, noneconomic damages, legal costs and attorney fees. The agreement specifically states the settlement doesn't constitute an admission of liability by the state.
Law360, a legal news website, first reported the settlement.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office confirmed the settlement had been reached.
"This settlement was mutually agreed upon by the parties and allows the state to minimize further cost to the taxpayers,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small said.
Bennett also had sued Cuomo and two top aides in federal court but dropped the claim in December because of what she called intimidating tactics by the ex-governor’s legal team.
“Ms. Bennett’s allegations were later supported by findings from the New York Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice," Debra Katz, Bennett's lawyer, said in a statement, adding: "Ms. Bennett is looking forward to moving on with her life.”
Cuomo, who is trying a political comeback with a run for New York City mayor, has maintained he did not harass anyone. Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesman, called the deal a "taxpayer funded nuisance settlement ... exonerating Gov. Cuomo.”
Previously, Azzopardi denied Cuomo’s team tried to intimidate Bennett and said she’d dropped her federal lawsuit shorty before she was supposed to be deposed under oath. The spokesman referenced that again on Friday.
“Tellingly, she was never deposed in this case,” Azzopardi said, referring to Bennett. “If anyone ever questioned whether this situation was political from the start, today’s taxpayer-funded nuisance settlement is proof positive.”
Two other sexual harassment lawsuits against Cuomo still are pending.
Bennett went public in early 2021 against Cuomo, becoming the second woman to accuse the governor of sexual harassment. In Bennett’s federal lawsuit against Cuomo, her attorney said the governor “sexualized comments about her appearance, assigned her humiliating and demeaning tasks, and beginning in early June 2020, subjected her to invasive and unwanted questions about her personal life, romantic and sexual relationships, and history as a survivor of sexual assault."
She also had accused two top Cuomo aides, Melissa DeRosa and Jill DeRosiers, of failing to take appropriate action after she reported the alleged harassment.
Eventually, Attorney General Letitia James led an investigation that concluded in 2021 Cuomo had harassed 11 women. The State Legislature, combining this with a probe about a lucrative book deal for Cuomo and his management of the COVID-19 pandemic, began an impeachment inquiry. Cuomo resigned shortly thereafter.
The ex-governor steadfastly maintained he didn’t harass anyone, and that James manipulated the investigation to boost her political ambitions. He also filed notice of his intent to sue Bennett for defamation.
“Whereas Ms. Bennett initially demanded multiple millions of dollars in damages based on the attorney general’s sensationalized and fraudulent report, today the state is giving her $100,000 in order to, as the state said, minimize legal fees going forward to taxpayers and not based on any findings or the merits of her claims,” Azzopardi said Friday.
James’ office didn’t immediately comment Friday.
Taxpayers have been covering much of the tab for the lawsuits filed against Cuomo and his aides because they were state employees at the time of the allegations. In June, Newsday reported Cuomo’s defense had cost the state nearly $12 million.

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