A onetime aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state have settled a lawsuit she had filed towards the state claiming as her employer it was accountable for Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment and for the actions of his high aides, who did not take corrective motion as soon as she reported it.
Bennett, who turned the second lady to publicly accuse him of misconduct, claimed Cuomo subjected her to invasive questions on her private life and sexual relationships, and as soon as informed her he was “lonely” and wished a girlfriend who lived in Albany, based on the state lawsuit, which Bennett filed in March 2023.
Because of the settlement, Bennett and her attorneys will obtain funds totaling $450,000 for misplaced pay, private harm, non-economic damages, authorized prices and lawyer charges, although the settlement would not represent an admission of legal responsibility by the state.
“Ms. Bennett’s allegations had been later supported by findings from the New York Legal professional Common’s Workplace and the U.S. Division of Justice. Ms. Bennett is trying ahead to shifting on along with her life,” Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, stated in an announcement Friday.
This comes after Bennett voluntarily dropped a federal lawsuit against Cuomo and several of his aides back in December.
Cuomo resigned as governor in August 2021 after state Legal professional Common Letitia James launched the outcomes of an investigation that concluded Cuomo had sexually harassed no less than 11 ladies, together with Bennett. Bennett performed a crucial function in Cuomo’s eventual downfall. On the time she got here ahead along with her accusations, just one different lady, Lindsey Boylan, had spoken publicly about being harassed by the governor.
When Bennett initially informed her story to The New York Instances, Cuomo appeared to acknowledge that he had damage her with feedback inappropriate for a office, however denied that he was making sexual advances. He claimed Bennett had misinterpreted his feedback.
Wealthy Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the previous governor, stated in an announcement that, “If anybody ever questioned whether or not this case was political from the beginning, in the present day’s taxpayer-funded nuisance settlement is proof optimistic.
“If Ms. Bennett had been compelled to present a deposition in her case towards the State, she would have dropped that lawsuit too as a result of she can’t testify underneath oath and reply for the proof obtained – a lot of which is in her personal phrases by way of textual content and video messages she herself despatched. Certainly, the State fought towards this lawsuit for over two years, characterizing Ms. Bennett’s claims in courtroom paperwork as ‘petty slights’ and ‘trivial inconveniences,’” Azzopardi additionally stated in his assertion. “The State even informed the decide that the Legal professional Common’s report was disputed and never binding upon the State.”
Cuomo, who’s operating for mayor of New York Metropolis, is currently countersuing Bennett, accusing her of defamation and looking for compensatory and punitive damages.
