New York settles with Cuomo aide over harassment claims, denies any wrongdoing.
Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to Andrew Cuomo, has reached a settlement with New York state after accusing the ex-governor of sexual harassment. The state has agreed to pay her $450,000, most of which—$350,000—will go to her legal team. As part of the deal, Bennett has agreed not to pursue a job again in the governor’s office, also known as the Executive Chamber. The state has not admitted any wrongdoing.
Back in 2021, Cuomo’s aide Bennett, now 29, was one of the first women to step forward publicly with claims against him. She said that while she was working for him, he asked her inappropriate and personal questions about her sex life. She also accused the state of failing to handle her complaint properly. Her settlement with the state, finalized on Friday, ends that lawsuit.
Bennett had also filed a separate lawsuit directly against Cuomo, but she dropped that case in December. At the time, she said the legal tactics Cuomo used had caused her and her family significant stress and cost. Among those tactics was a request for her private medical records, which she said was deeply invasive and painful. Cuomo has denied all allegations of harassment. His team says the settlement proves that the claims had no real merit. His spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, said the fact that Bennett was never required to give a deposition in court shows the weakness of her case. He described the settlement as a taxpayer-funded nuisance payout and repeated Cuomo’s stance that the entire situation was politically motivated.
Cuomo had previously given his support to Letitia James when she ran for attorney general. After his aide Bennett and other women spoke out in 2021, Cuomo asked James to lead an outside investigation into his behavior. Her office’s report found that Cuomo had sexually harassed eleven women, including state employees like Bennett. The report sparked calls from major political figures, including President Joe Biden, for Cuomo to resign. A week after the report was released, Cuomo stepped down.
Since then, Cuomo has insisted the investigation was unfair and meant to damage him politically. He said he may have made people feel uncomfortable but continued to deny that he ever harassed anyone. Despite leaving office, Cuomo has stayed in the public eye and is now seen as a serious contender for mayor of New York City. Bennett’s lawsuit is just one part of a broader story that continues to follow him.
Two other women still have open lawsuits against Cuomo. One is a former state trooper who was part of his security team. She says Cuomo made suggestive remarks to her and once touched her without consent. The other woman, Brittany Commisso, worked in the Executive Chamber and says Cuomo groped her while she was doing her job. Cuomo has denied both claims. In Commisso’s case, criminal charges were brought but later dropped.
The legal battles related to Cuomo’s alleged misconduct have come at a steep cost to the public. New York taxpayers have paid roughly $18 million for legal defense in these cases. That figure includes a $2.5 million contract the state signed with a private law firm to defend the governor’s office from Bennett’s claims.
A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul said the decision to settle Bennett’s lawsuit was made to avoid additional costs for the state. Bennett’s attorney said her client is ready to move forward and leave the case behind. While Cuomo still faces other legal challenges, this settlement closes a chapter in a long and very public controversy that began four years ago.
Sources:
NY settles sexual harassment lawsuit with former aide to Andrew Cuomo
Join the conversation!