ALBANY, NY — A New York State trooper who testified that former Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed her filed a lawsuit Thursday and asked federal court to declare that Cuomo, a row aide head and the state police violated her civil rights.
The soldier, whose name was not released in the lawsuit, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan against Cuomo, the New York State Police, and Cuomo’s former top aide, Melissa DeRosa. The lawsuit seeks attorneys’ fees, damages for “mental distress and serious mental distress,” and claims that Cuomo, DeRosa, and state police violated civil law at the federal level, states and cities on the prohibition of sexual harassment.
Cuomo resigned in August, days after an independent investigation found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and worked to retaliate against one of his accusers. Those accusers include an unnamed state soldier who is holding details of his security and says he allegedly made her make sexual comments and sometimes give her a desk. his hand or finger on her stomach and back.
“As with his other victims, the governor used his body close to Soldier 1 to inappropriately touch her,” the lawsuit alleges.
“He commented on her looks (‘why aren’t you wearing a dress?); Wants to kiss her (‘ (c) one I kiss you?’); Ask her to find him a friend girls can deal with pain;” and steer their conversations in a sexual direction (‘(w) do you want to get married? … your sex drive decreases’), “the suit said.
Several New York district attorneys said they found Cuomo’s accusers “credible,” but said the existing evidence was not strong enough to convict him.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi blasted the soldier’s lawsuit on Thursday.
“Governor Cuomo will resist any attempt at cheap blackmail and is anxious to stop dirty politics – we expect fairness in the courts of law,” Azzopardi said.
DeRosa’s attorney Paul Schectman said his client, the governor’s top aide, only interacted with the soldier to say “‘hello and goodbye.”
“This is not a viable case anywhere in the US and is not frivolous,” says Schectman.
A spokesman for the New York State Police was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.
Cuomo has denied he ever intended to inappropriately touch anyone.
Sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo began to mount in early 2021.
He initially apologized for his behavior with women “which could have been tactless or too personal”, and said some of his past comments had been “misinterpreted as an insult”. unwanted flirting.”
