Embattled ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo will have to explain under oath why he does not believe he sexually harassed a New York trooper suing him in federal court.
The fallen powerbroker denies all charges including touching the trooper’s stomach and back as well as kissing her on the cheek in 2019 while on duty, among other alleged misbehavior.
“There are consequences to this type of behavior,” said attorney Valdi Licul, who represents the woman who goes by the moniker “Trooper 1” used in a bombshell August 2021 report by state Attorney General Letitia James that found Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women.
“It’s an important case because it’s not often that you have a sitting governor who gets credibly accused and found [to have] sexually harassed numerous women. I mean, that doesn’t happen very often.
The deposition, scheduled for Aug. 23, moves the case one step towards completion amid ongoing efforts by Cuomo to clear his name despite the litany of allegations of sexual misconduct that fueled his resignation nearly two years ago ahead of an expected impeachment by the state Assembly.
Cuomo has demanded docs from two of the women accusing him of sexual misconduct – former gubernatorial staffers Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett – as part of efforts to undermine their credibility in the case involving Trooper 1.
His critics say that effort amounts to intimidation against them.
Licul urged Judge Taryn Merkl of the federal Eastern District of New York based in Brooklyn on June 12 to settle challenges to Cuomo subpoenaing Boylan and Bennet over the summer, according to a legal filing that also shows the two sides in the case agreeing to Cuomo getting deposed on Aug. 23.
Cuomo will have to answer questions under oath for up to seven hours in the upcoming deposition, according to Licul.
Trooper 1 will also have to tell her side of the story at some point as well although the exact debate has not yet been set.
New York State Police, former Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, and former gubernatorial advisor Richard Azzopardi are also respondents in the suit – which seeks monetary damages – filed by Trooper 1 in early 2022.
A Cuomo attorney did not provide immediate comment Thursday.
“There was no sexual harassment,” Cuomo recently told WABC.
“It was a political report,” he said of James’ report.
