Ex-aide who alleged sexual harassment sues Andrew Cuomo

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A onetime aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sued him, saying he tried to groom her for a sexual relationship at the start of the pandemic and then later smeared her reputation publicly. The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday by Charlotte Bennett also named three former aides of Cuomo as defendants. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages. It said Bennett was a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration when a barrage of inappropriate sexual comments by the governor left her experiencing near-debilitating anxiety, symptoms of depression and a neurological disorder. A lawyer for Cuomo said in a statement that they will respond to the lawsuit in court.