New York — Behind the scenes of Andrew Cuomo’s bid to become New York City’s next mayor, the former governor is fighting a costly legal battle to clear his record. Almost all of it is up to New Yorkers to pay for.
Cuomo has faced more than a dozen lawsuits in New York courts alleging sexual harassment of former state employees, an improper book deal, and mishandling of Covid-19 in nursing homes.
According to state comptroller records obtained by Bloomberg, the taxpayer-funded costs associated with his multifront legal defense and offense—he has sued five state agencies or entities—have surpassed $61 million and involve at least 16 law firms. Eight of the lawsuits are ongoing.
Under New York law, current or former state employees who are sued for conduct related to their government work can have the state pay their defense costs.
Cuomo, a Democrat, was sued in federal court by three state employees who accused him of sexual harassment while he was in office, as well as the families of deceased nursing home residents who claim the former governor’s handling of the pandemic caused their deaths. Taxpayers are also paying for the defense of the government entities he is suing.
“I’m not sure there’s ever been a case exactly like his in terms of size and amount of money,” Manhattan state Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat, said of the legal fees. “It’s a breathtaking number.”
Cuomo’s tenure as governor has come under renewed scrutiny as the 67-year-old positions himself as the man to unseat New York City Mayor Eric Adams and address the issues plaguing New Yorkers.
He has so far overcome criticism of his alleged wrongdoing to lead a crowded field of challengers in the June primary, citing his record of accomplishments such as passing legislation recognizing gay marriage and raising the minimum wage, opening Moynihan Train Hall, and replacing the aging Tappan Zee Bridge.
His career came to an abrupt end when he resigned in August 2021, in the middle of his third term, after New York State Attorney General Letitia James released a report accusing him of sexually harassing 11 women while governor.
Several of the alleged victims are current or former state employees. Since then, he has been sued by an anonymous state trooper, Charlotte Bennett, and Brittany Commisso, both former state employees.
“The Attorney General bears direct responsibility for this entire mess,” Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, said in a statement. “She spent $8 million on a shoddy investigation and inaccurate report to lay the groundwork for her own political campaign for governor. The Assembly followed suit, spending $6 million on its own similarly flawed tag-along report.
A spokesman for James stated that the attorney general supports the investigation and its findings, and that “the former Governor bears responsibility for his own actions, full stop.”
Bennett dropped her lawsuit against Cuomo in December, claiming in a statement that Cuomo’s “abusive filings and invasive subpoenas are meant to humiliate and retaliate against me,” and that his actions caused “extraordinary pain and expense to my family and friends.”
She paid the state $450,000 last week to settle a separate lawsuit accusing New York of failing to protect her.
Cuomo claims her allegations are false and is suing for defamation. He stated that he will pay the fees associated with the case.
Cuomo has also sued the state attorney general for denying him records that he claims are critical to his defense, as well as the state comptroller for refusing to pay for his legal fees against James. He has also sued the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, alleging that he was wrongfully awarded a $5 million payout for his book about the pandemic.
The former governor, who also served as the state’s attorney general, has had two of three Covid-related lawsuits dismissed, though the plaintiffs in one of the cases are appealing the decision.
Typically, the state attorney general would represent former state employees. Cuomo has accused James of having political motives for her investigation, but she has recused herself from any matters involving the former governor. This has enabled Cuomo and the state agencies he has sued to hire 16 different private law firms for their respective defenses.
According to records obtained by Bloomberg News, law firms are paid discounted rates of $600 to $750 per hour.
While it is not the first time the state has paid for former officials’ legal bills, state officials say the Cuomo case is unprecedented in size and scope.
Critics claim the former governor is using a loophole that places no real limit on state costs to discredit the women who accused him of harassment, regardless of whether they have sued him.
Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, wrote to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who approves the payments, in February, urging him to limit unreasonable expenses.
“The lack of sufficient oversight of reimbursements has enabled Mr. Cuomo to perpetuate the harassment of women he was already found to have harassed by multiple investigations, now through the legal system and at taxpayer expense,” Lerner wrote in the letter, which was co-signed by Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group.
DiNapoli’s office denies having any authority to limit expenses. Attorneys defending the former governor owe “that defendant, and not the State, the fiduciary and ethical obligation of zealous representation,” DiNapoli’s counsel Nelson Sheingold wrote in a letter obtained by Bloomberg News.
Cuomo’s lawyers have subpoenaed or requested depositions from over 50 non-party witnesses, including many of his accusers, their families, former employees, and romantic partners.
Lawyers have also filed motions to disclose the identity of one of Cuomo’s anonymous accusers. Cuomo’s attorneys claim the trooper who sued him is to blame for bringing other accusers into the case because she cited their accounts in her complaint.
Cuomo’s legal team obtained five years’ worth of Bennett’s medical records, including gynecological records, and attempted to depose the president of the school where she attended.
They argue that the documents are required because Bennett claimed to have suffered mental and physical consequences as a result of the alleged harassment, and that their requests are legitimate and relevant to the allegations against him.
“In most cases, there are real constraints on time and resources,” explained Effie Blassberger, a partner at Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder LLP who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in sexual harassment cases.
New York, which pays the majority of the bill, has a $250 billion annual budget. Cuomo’s net worth is $3.4 million, according to financial statements.
“In a high-profile case like this, those limits seem to disappear,” Blassberger said. “The defense team here has the means to thoroughly investigate every potential witness.”
‘Off the Rails’
Though Cuomo initially stated that there were “11 women who I truly offended,” the former governor has since expressed regret for his decision to leave office, claiming that the women who spoke out against him conspired to force his resignation.
“I never resigned because I claimed I did something wrong,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg News in 2022.
Cuomo’s lawyers have requested years of phone records from retired state police officer Stephen Nevins, who spoke with one of the accusers. They claimed that the phone records were necessary because Nevins was a “puppet-master” who ordered a “hit” on Cuomo. Nevins’ attorneys have opposed the subpoena, describing it as a “fishing expedition.”
Lindsey Boylan, a former state employee who was the first woman to speak out against Cuomo, also had her phone records searched after being named in two other lawsuits against the former governor. Boylan claims she has spent over $2 million of her own money on legal defense costs in those cases and will not be reimbursed.
Boylan said Cuomo’s unyielding strategy “represents who he is,” and she called the process invasive and exhausting. “Abusive in every possible way of every possible power and system that he could control.”
Cuomo’s attorneys deny Boylan’s allegations, accusing her of making them as part of a political campaign she was running at the time. Boylan, who previously ran for Congress and Manhattan Borough President, denies Cuomo’s accusation.
The judges overseeing the cases have provided colorful descriptions of the discovery process. One described it as a “quagmire” and “off the rails,” while another referred to it as a “scorched-earth” approach.
Senator Krueger, who said she is not surprised by Cuomo’s legal tactics, recently introduced legislation to tighten state funding for legal costs.
“He is very good at evaluating strengths and weaknesses in existing state law,” Krueger told me. “Given his overall history of being very good at recognizing that the best defense is a good offense, he’s being consistent.”
Several of the lawsuits are likely to be ongoing in 2026, when the next mayoral term begins. Cuomo’s lawyers argue that even if they are, his ability to perform public duties will be unaffected if he is elected.
“This is America, and anyone sued is entitled to due process and the right to defend themselves, particularly against demonstrably false allegations,” according to Glavin, Cuomo’s attorney. “All of this could have been avoided had the AG not created this $14 million mess in the first place – taxpayers should be demanding answers for that.”