Today, January 26th, 2024, the United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the results of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. “[T]he United States found that former Governor Cuomo subjected at least thirteen female employees of New York State . . . to a sexually hostile work environment. Governor Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances.” Federal investigators also found that the Executive Chamber, including senior members of Cuomo’s staff, were “aware of Cuomo’s conduct but failed to effectively remediate the harassment on a systemic level” and that “the Executive Chamber’s response was designed only to protect Cuomo from further accusations, rather than to protect employees from sexual harassment.” A DOJ official described Cuomo’s conduct as “especially egregious because of the stark power differential involved and the victim’s lack of avenues to report and redress harassment.”
This is the third independent investigation to conclude that Cuomo created a hostile work environment for the women around him. New York State has entered into an agreement with the federal government to implement reforms to protect future women from being victimized. Unfortunately, these reforms come too late for Cuomo’s victims, including Trooper 1, who are currently pursuing justice in lawsuits against Cuomo and his enablers. Perversely, the State continues to fight tooth and nail against Trooper 1’s claims.
(A copy of the federal government’s press release and the agreement with the New York State Executive Chamber can be found [here] and [here].)