Andrew Cuomo is accused of sexual abuse by an ex-aide who says he groped her

Brittany Commisso, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo who accused him of groping her in late 2020, is suing him under the state’s Adult Survivors Act for what she described as “generally abusive behavior,” according to court documents.

In the papers, Ms. Commisso accused Mr. Cuomo of “persistent sexual harassment” and retaliation against her after she rejected his advances and reported his behavior.

Ms. Commisso’s allegations against Mr. Cuomo are not new and he has long denied them.

In 2021, she filed a formal criminal complaint against Mr. Cuomo with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and filed charges against him. Albany County prosecutors decided not to prosecute, saying that while they were “deeply troubled” and found Ms. Commisso to be “cooperative and credible,” they concluded they could not meet their burden of proof at trial.

The court papers filed by Ms. Commisso on Tuesday were intended to initiate a lawsuit and, according to court rules, are intended to be followed by a lawsuit.

The lawsuit came just days before the expiration Friday of the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which gave people who said they were sexually assaulted in New York a one-year window to sue their alleged attackers, even if the statute of limitations had expired was.

This week, New York Mayor Eric Adams was accused in a similar trial of assaulting a Florida woman three decades ago. Mr Adams denied the claim and said he did not recall ever meeting the accuser.

Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement Friday: “Ms. Commisso’s claims are demonstrably false, which is why the Albany District Attorney dismissed the case two years ago after a thorough investigation.

“MS. Commisso’s blatant attempt to steal money will fail,” Ms Glavin said. “We look forward to seeing her in court.”

The legal action comes as Mr. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in August 2021 after a cascade of sexual misconduct allegations, is again considering a return to public office, sparking heated debate among Democrats.

“It disgusts me that Andrew Cuomo would even consider running for public office,” Ms. Commisso said, adding that he had refused “to take responsibility or even acknowledge that he was me, among numerous others “Sexually harassed victims as governor.” State.”

Ms. Commisso’s court papers say the persistent harassment she suffered included “unwanted sexual advances, sexualized comments about her appearance and personal matters,” hugs, kisses, sexual touching of her buttocks and forcible touching of her breast.

She says she was subjected to professional retaliation, including being assigned the “humiliating task of answering telephone calls in the lieutenant governor’s office,” a decision she says was made by then-Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is now governor.

Avi Small, a spokesman for Ms. Hochul, said on Friday: “The claim regarding then-Lieutenant Governor Hochul is clearly a mistake, as she had no control over executive chamber personnel decisions.”

Ms. Hochul is not named as a defendant, but is merely quoted in a summary of the allegations contained in Ms. Commisso’s court filings.

Mr. Cuomo told Politico in October that he might run for office again, but a spokesman indicated last week that the former governor, who traveled to Sicily with his daughters, had no firm plans.

New York Democrats have noted an online poll circulating this month that appears to be linked to Mr. Cuomo. The survey examined news stories related to the sexual harassment allegations against him and his performance in office, according to screenshots shared with The New York Times.

In conversations with allies in recent weeks, Mr. Cuomo has privately considered running for New York City mayor if Mr. Adams is unseated by a federal investigation into his campaign fundraising, according to two people who have spoken to him and not authorized to discuss it publicly.