Cuomo counsel who handled sex harassment claim to resign
ALBANY — One of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s top lawyers who was involved in handling a sexual harassment complaint against the governor will soon resign, a Cuomo spokesman said.
Judith Mogul will resign from the special counsel position she’s held since 2019, according to a statement from the governor’s office. Cuomo’s office said that Mogul’s departure is to pursue other opportunities and that she had already delayed her departure by a year.
Mogul, a former federal prosecutor, was involved in talking to one of the first accusers against Cuomo, Charlotte Bennett, who said Cuomo was grooming her for a sexual relationship. Afterward, Bennett was later transferred to another office.
Cuomo has denied any sexual harassment and said the ongoing investigation by Attorney General Letitia James will present facts to confirm that.
Bennett was interviewed in the investigation. Her attorney, Debra Katz, has been critical of the handling of Bennett’s allegation by Cuomo and his attorneys. In April, Katz charged that Mogul and another top Cuomo aide, Jill DeRosiers, failed to report Bennett’s allegation as required in state law.
Cuomo Senior Adviser Rich Azzopardi said Mogul had planned to leave her state job in 2020, before the sexual harassment allegations, but remained to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are grateful for that," Azzopardi said in the statement. "Judy left a high-profile career in the private sector — and before that as an assistant U.S. attorney — to serve the people of the State of New York," he said in a statement. "Judy is a phenomenal lawyer, model public servant and friend, and we wish her well in her next chapter."
Neither Katz nor Mogul’s private attorney immediately returned calls seeking comment.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
