Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment accusers call for end to his taxpayer-funded legal defense after NYC mayoral primary defeat
ALBANY – Dime's up.
Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment accusers called on state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli to cut off the former governor's taxpayer-fueled legal defense fund Thursday after his Big Apple mayoral run bellyflopped.
The accused sex pest, who resigned as governor in 2021 while facing misconduct allegations from over a dozen women, has since received a whopping $60 million from taxpayers while battling scandals that ensnared his administration.
Andrew Cuomo conceded defeat in the New York City Democratic primary for mayor Tuesday night.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post
Roughly $18 million of that largesse went toward the three-term Democratic governor aggressively defending himself against the women who accused him of sexual harassment.
'Survivors and whistleblowers shouldn't have to live in fear of being dragged through the legal system simply for telling the truth,' said Erica Vladimer, founding director of the group Harassment-Free Albany.
Vladimer was joined via Zoom by some of the former state staffers who spoke out against Cuomo, including Charlotte Bennett, an ex-aide who had sued over alleged sexual harassment.
'It has been an excruciating time and the joy of the outcome on Tuesday was quickly followed by fear of what the next piece of this means for me,' Bennett, who supported Cuomo's main opponent Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary, said while holding back tears.
Cuomo in April filed and renewed a notice of claim that he intended to pursue a defamation lawsuit against Bennett — in what she alleged was a deliberate effort to keep her quiet during the primary race.
'I don't feel like I've been able to respond to his narrative,' Bennett said.
Cuomo, who has denied the allegations, went on the offensive against Bennett after she dropped her federal lawsuit against him late last year, shortly before she was expected to be deposed in the case.
Cuomo's lawyers filed a notice of claim that he intends to sue Bennett for defamation in December.
AP
Bennett, fellow Cuomo accuser Lindsey Boylan and Vladimer called for DiNapoli to seriously scrutinize the legal bills that the former governor has been submitting for reimbursement.
They also urged state lawmakers to pass the Speak Your Truth Act, a piece of legislation to protect survivors from excessive harassment by their accusers through the legal system.
A spokesperson for Cuomo — who was bested by Mamdani in the primary election Tuesday — slammed the claims as 'false accusations.'
'People have a right to defend themselves against false accusations. This is still America, as much as Erica wants it to be otherwise,' Rich Azzopardi wrote in a statement to The Post.
A spokesperson for DiNapoli declined to comment.
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