Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo sued by Brittany Commisso over alleged sexual harassment
Brittany Commisso, an executive assistant on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's staff, with the governor in this image taken from video made available by the Office of the Governor of New York. Credit: AP
A former aide to ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has filed a gender discrimination and hostile work environment lawsuit against Cuomo, claiming he forcibly touched her breast and consistently made sexual comments to her before she was demoted for spurning his advances.
In the summons filed Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Albany, Brittany Commisso alleged that Cuomo engaged in “pervasive abusive conduct” during the time she was employed as an executive assistant to the governor from about Dec.r 2019 until Aug. 11, 2021.
“It disgusts me that Andrew Cuomo is even considering running for public office in the wake of Mayor Adam’s [sic] alleged sexual harassment when he himself will not accept responsibility or even acknowledge his sexual harassment of me, aside from numerous other victims, while the governor of our state,” Commisso said in a statement, alluding to a possible Cuomo run.
Politico reported Tuesday that Cuomo has indicated to allies that he may want to run for New York City mayor if Adams were to become engulfed in a federal investigation into his administration. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing.
“Do I believe I could run for political office again? Yes. I think I have a lot of options, and there are a lot of issues I’m working on now that I care about,” Cuomo told Politico in October, the website reported Tuesday. “I haven’t ruled any in; I haven’t ruled any out.”
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment on a potential Cuomo comeback.
On Wednesday, Adams was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993 when he worked in the NYPD’s transit bureau. Adams denied the allegation.
The summons was filed just before the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, signed into law last year by Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul. The law provided a one-year window for alleged victims who were at least 18 or older at the time of the alleged abuse to file legal action against an offender, regardless of the statute of limitations.
“Ms. Commisso’s claims are provably false, which is why the Albany district attorney dismissed the case two years ago after a thorough investigation,” said Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin. ”Ms. Commisso’s transparent attempt at a cash grab will fail."
Glavin has previously denied Commisso’s allegations against Cuomo, which were included in a 2021 investigative report by the State Attorney General’s Office that detailed alleged sexual misconduct by Cuomo, a Democrat.
The then-governor resigned a week after the release of the report, which concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women working under him. The report was made public by Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat and previous Cuomo ally.
Commisso’s claims were also the subject of a criminal complaint that was later dismissed.
“The continuous sexual harassment by defendant Cuomo included unwelcome sexual advances, sexualized comments about appearance and personal matters, relations, their dating, their sex life, and her marriage, assignment of humiliating and demeaning tasks, hugs, kisses, sexual touching of the buttocks, and forcible touching of the breast,” the summons read.
The suit seeks to recover compensatory and punitive damages for the “substantial personal injuries and economic loss plaintiff suffered.”
The lawsuit alleged that Hochul, then the lieutenant governor, demoted Commisso from the position of executive assistant to the governor, removed her from the executive chamber front office, and assigned her to the “demeaning task of answering telephones in the Lieutenant Governor’s office.”
Those actions resulted in the “loss of overtime, ostracism, given little or no work, demotion, and loss of career opportunities and advancement,” the summons said.
A spokesperson for Hochul, Avi Small, said by email: “The claim regarding then-Lieutenant Gov. Hochul is clearly a mistake, as she had no control over Executive Chamber personnel decisions. We can only assume this allegation is an error in the preparation of the summons.”
The suit also seeks damages from the state of New York and Judith Mogul, former special counsel to Cuomo.
James’ report concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, retaliated against one of them, and broke multiple state and federal laws.
When Cuomo resigned in August 2021, he called the investigations into his alleged misconduct “politically motivated” and said any discomfort with his behavior was generational.
“In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone,” Cuomo said. “But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.”
Commisso, who in 2021 identified herself in an interview as “Executive Assistant #1” — the moniker she was given in James’ report to shield her identity — told state investigators that Cuomo groped her on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2020, including an allegation that he “reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast.”
A former aide to ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has filed a gender discrimination and hostile work environment lawsuit against Cuomo, claiming he forcibly touched her breast and consistently made sexual comments to her before she was demoted for spurning his advances.
In the summons filed Wednesday in State Supreme Court in Albany, Brittany Commisso alleged that Cuomo engaged in “pervasive abusive conduct” during the time she was employed as an executive assistant to the governor from about Dec.r 2019 until Aug. 11, 2021.
“It disgusts me that Andrew Cuomo is even considering running for public office in the wake of Mayor Adam’s [sic] alleged sexual harassment when he himself will not accept responsibility or even acknowledge his sexual harassment of me, aside from numerous other victims, while the governor of our state,” Commisso said in a statement, alluding to a possible Cuomo run.
Politico reported Tuesday that Cuomo has indicated to allies that he may want to run for New York City mayor if Adams were to become engulfed in a federal investigation into his administration. Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing.
WHAT TO KNOW
- A former aide to ex-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has filed a gender discrimination and hostile work environment lawsuit against Cuomo.
- Brittany Commisso alleges Cuomo engaged in “pervasive abusive conduct” when she worked for him in Albany.
- The lawsuit claims the former governor touched her breast and consistently made sexual comments to her before she was demoted for spurning his advances.
“Do I believe I could run for political office again? Yes. I think I have a lot of options, and there are a lot of issues I’m working on now that I care about,” Cuomo told Politico in October, the website reported Tuesday. “I haven’t ruled any in; I haven’t ruled any out.”
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment on a potential Cuomo comeback.
On Wednesday, Adams was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 1993 when he worked in the NYPD’s transit bureau. Adams denied the allegation.
A screenshot from Brittany Commisso's video testimony on the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Credit: TNS
The summons was filed just before the expiration of the Adult Survivors Act, signed into law last year by Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul. The law provided a one-year window for alleged victims who were at least 18 or older at the time of the alleged abuse to file legal action against an offender, regardless of the statute of limitations.
“Ms. Commisso’s claims are provably false, which is why the Albany district attorney dismissed the case two years ago after a thorough investigation,” said Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin. ”Ms. Commisso’s transparent attempt at a cash grab will fail."
Glavin has previously denied Commisso’s allegations against Cuomo, which were included in a 2021 investigative report by the State Attorney General’s Office that detailed alleged sexual misconduct by Cuomo, a Democrat.
The then-governor resigned a week after the release of the report, which concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed multiple women working under him. The report was made public by Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat and previous Cuomo ally.
Commisso’s claims were also the subject of a criminal complaint that was later dismissed.
“The continuous sexual harassment by defendant Cuomo included unwelcome sexual advances, sexualized comments about appearance and personal matters, relations, their dating, their sex life, and her marriage, assignment of humiliating and demeaning tasks, hugs, kisses, sexual touching of the buttocks, and forcible touching of the breast,” the summons read.
The suit seeks to recover compensatory and punitive damages for the “substantial personal injuries and economic loss plaintiff suffered.”
The lawsuit alleged that Hochul, then the lieutenant governor, demoted Commisso from the position of executive assistant to the governor, removed her from the executive chamber front office, and assigned her to the “demeaning task of answering telephones in the Lieutenant Governor’s office.”
Those actions resulted in the “loss of overtime, ostracism, given little or no work, demotion, and loss of career opportunities and advancement,” the summons said.
A spokesperson for Hochul, Avi Small, said by email: “The claim regarding then-Lieutenant Gov. Hochul is clearly a mistake, as she had no control over Executive Chamber personnel decisions. We can only assume this allegation is an error in the preparation of the summons.”
The suit also seeks damages from the state of New York and Judith Mogul, former special counsel to Cuomo.
James’ report concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, retaliated against one of them, and broke multiple state and federal laws.
When Cuomo resigned in August 2021, he called the investigations into his alleged misconduct “politically motivated” and said any discomfort with his behavior was generational.
“In my mind, I have never crossed the line with anyone,” Cuomo said. “But I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn.”
Commisso, who in 2021 identified herself in an interview as “Executive Assistant #1” — the moniker she was given in James’ report to shield her identity — told state investigators that Cuomo groped her on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2020, including an allegation that he “reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast.”
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
