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Andrew Cuomo will pick up the tab for his threatened defamation lawsuit against a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment, he told The Post — after taxpayers shelled out a whopping $60 million to defend against his scandals.
State law affords Cuomo no chance to pursue legal action against Charlotte Bennett, the accuser whom his lawyers contend falsely besmirched the former governor, his dogged chief mouthpiece Rich Azzopardi said Monday.
“The answer is no,” Azzopardi said about whether Cuomo will ask the state to pay for the potential lawsuit.
New York taxpayers have still coughed up $60 million because Cuomo successfully argued that the state should pay his legal costs as he defended himself against a bevy of scandals trailing his administration since he resigned in disgrace in 2021.
The massive cost includes roughly $18 million to defend Cuomo against lawsuits filed by former aides and state employees, such as Bennett, accusing him of sexual harassment.
Cuomo has denied wrongdoing.
Bennett last week ended her lawsuit against the Empire State for a $450,000 settlement, but Cuomo’s lawyers quickly filed a summons in Manhattan court reupping their intent to sue her for defamation.
The potential lawsuit inspired city Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s also running in the Democratic mayoral primary, to hold a news conference near City Hall demanding Cuomo clarify whether he or the taxpayers will pay for it.
“Andrew, will this new defamation suit be paid by you, or are you gonna try to force New York state taxpayers to pay for your additional legal harassment of people you’ve already sexually harassed?” Lander said Monday.
Azzopardi responded that tax dollars were never going to pay for any action.
“New York City is in crisis and this is a time for serious leaders with the proven record of accomplishment to turn it around, not petty extremist ideologues who spend their days standing alone on street corners holding press conferences where nobody shows up,” he said.
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