A lawsuit has been filed against Andrew Cuomo by a woman alleging sexual assault during his time as governor of New York.
Former Cuomo staffer Brittany Commisso, who previously claimed that he groped her in 2021, filed the lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act, as per court records.
She alleged that Mr. Cuomo groped her in 2020, citing an incident where he summoned her to the Governor’s Mansion and “put his hand up my blouse and cupped my breast over my bra.” She also claimed that 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. “It happened so quick. He didn’t say anything. When I stopped it, he just pulled away and walked away.”
Commisso also stated that Mr. Cuomo retaliated against her when she refused to engage in 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.
The suit was filed on Nov. 22 with the Albany County Clerk.
After 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 stated that they would be fighting them in court.
The New York Adult Survivors Act of 2022 provided sexual assault and harassment victims with a year to sue their abusers in civil court without a statute of limitations. Since its implementation, over 2,500 cases have been filed in courts. The act’s one-year window expired Thursday.
Several cases involving other well-known individuals were filed, including lawsuits against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, former President Donald Trump, rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose.
Advocates have called 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 supports victims of abuse and violent crime, expressed hope that the act “will change behavior going forward, that it will change institutional practices.”
She also hopes that other states will 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.
Former Staffer Sues Andrew Cuomo for Sexual Assault
