A woman has sued Andrew Cuomo for alleged sexual assault when he was governor of New York.
Former Cuomo staffer Brittany Commisso, who first claimed in 2021 that he groped her, filed the lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act, according to court records.
She said Mr. Cuomo groped her in 2020. She told CBS in a 2021 interview about one incident where he summons her to the Governor’s Mansion and “put his hand up my blouse and cupped my breast over my bra.” Another time she said he rubbed her butt while they were taking a photo.
“I exactly remember looking down, seeing his hand, which is a large hand, thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God. This is happening,” she said of the bra incident. “It happened so quick. He didn’t say anything. When I stopped it, he just pulled away and walked away.”
She said that he then retaliated against her when she refused to perform sexual acts. She is one of the 11 women who accused the former governor of sexual harassment. He resigned in 2021 after facing an impeachment probe.
Mr. Cuomo has denied all allegations against him.
She filed the suit on Nov. 22 to the Albany County Clerk.
After Ms. Commisso’s claims were investigated in 2022, prosecutors declined to pursue charges against Mr. Cuomo.
“While we found the complainant in this case cooperative and credible, after review of all the available evidence, we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial,” District Attorney David Sores said at the time. “As such, we have notified the Court that we are declining to prosecute this matter and requesting the charges filed by the Albany County Sheriff to be dismissed.”
Mr. Cuomo’s attorney, Rita Glavin, denied the allegations and said they would be fighting them in court.
“Ms. Commisso’s claims are provably false, which is why the Albany County District Attorney dismissed the case two years ago after a thorough investigation,” she told The Hill. “Ms. Commisso’s transparent attempt at a cash grab will fail. We look forward to seeing her in court.”
The New York Adult Survivors Act of 2022 gave sexual assault and harassment victims a year to sue their abusers in civil court without a statute of limitations. Since it went into effect, over 2,500 cases have been filed in courts. The act’s one-year window expired Thursday.
Several cases involving other well-known people were filed. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, former President Donald Trump, rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose were among those hit with sexual assault and harassment lawsuits.
Advocates have started pushing for an extension of the act’s window or a permanent end to the statute of limitations. Liz Roberts, CEO of Safe Horizon, a New York-based nonprofit that helps victims of abuse and violent crime, said the act “will change behavior going forward, that it will change institutional practices.”
She hopes other states follow New York’s lead.
“What we have learned is that trauma takes time – that when you’ve experienced a sexual assault, especially by somebody who was in a position of power, you may not be able to take action right away, that you need time to process what’s happened to you, and you need time to get support around you if you are going to pursue some kind of legal action,” she told CNN.
