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Independent Investigators Find Governor Cuomo
Sexually Harassed Multiple Women, Violated State and Federal Laws
Published: August 03, 2021
at 11:15 a.m.
By: Press Release from NYS Attorney General
Independent Investigators Find Governor
Cuomo Sexually
Harassed Multiple Women, Violated State and Federal Laws
Report by Independent Investigators Find
NYS Governor Sexually
Harassed Multiple Women From 2013 Through 2020
Sexual Harassment Included Unwanted and
Inappropriate Groping, Kissing, Hugging, and Comments That Accusers Called
“Deeply Humiliating, Uncomfortable, Offensive, or Inappropriate”
Executive Chamber “Rife with Fear and
Intimidation,” Enabled
“Harassment to Occur and Created a Hostile Work Environment”
NEW YORK – The independent investigators appointed by New
York Attorney General Letitia James — led by Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark
— today released their report
into the multiple allegations of sexual harassment by New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo.
After nearly five months, the investigators concluded that Governor Cuomo
did sexually harass multiple women — including former and current state
employees — by engaging in unwanted groping, kissing, and hugging, and
making inappropriate comments. Further, the governor and his senior staff
took actions to retaliate against at least one former employee for coming
forward with her story. Finally, the Executive Chamber fostered a “toxic”
workplace that enabled “harassment to occur and created a hostile work
environment.” The investigators find that Governor Cuomo’s actions and
those of the Executive Chamber violated multiple state and federal laws, as
well as the Executive Chamber’s own written policies.
The investigation was conducted after, on March 1, 2021, the
Executive Chamber made a referral, pursuant to New York Executive Law
Section 63(8), for Attorney General James to select independent
lawyers to investigate “allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual
harassment claims made against the governor.” Kim and Clark were chosen to
lead the investigation on March 8, 2021.
“This is a sad day for New York because independent
investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple
women and, in doing so, broke the law,” said Attorney General James.
“I am grateful to all the women who came forward to tell their stories in
painstaking detail, enabling investigators to get to the truth. No man — no
matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women or violate our human
rights laws, period.”
Starting in December 2020, multiple women came forward with
allegations that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed them. Over the course of
the investigation, the investigators interviewed 179 individuals. Those
interviewed included complainants, current and former members of the
Executive Chamber, State Troopers, additional state employees, and others
who interacted regularly with the governor. More than 74,000 documents,
emails, texts, and pictures were also reviewed as evidence during the
investigation.
Backed up by corroborating evidence and credible witnesses,
the investigators detail multiple current or former New York state
employees or women outside state service who were the targets of harassing
conduct on the part of the governor.
As part of the investigation, Governor Cuomo also sat with
the interviewers and answered questions under oath. While the governor
denied the most serious allegations, the investigators found that he did so
by offering “blanket denials” or that he had a “lack of recollection as to
specific incidents.” The investigators also found that the governor’s
recollection “stood in stark contrast to the strength, specificity, and
corroboration of the complainants’ recollections, as well as the reports of
many other individuals who offered observations and experiences of the
governor’s conduct.”
Additionally, the investigators found that the Executive
Chamber was “rife with fear and intimidation” that not only “enabled the
above-described instances of harassment to occur,” but also “created a
hostile work environment overall.” Further, Governor Cuomo, himself, and
the Executive Chamber engaged in “retaliatory” behavior by “intend[ing] to discredit and disparage” a former employee that
came forward with her story of harassment.
The investigation found that Governor Cuomo’s sexual harassment
of multiple women and his and the Executive Chamber’s retaliation against a
former employee for coming forward with her claims of sexual harassment
violated multiple state and federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, the New York State Human Rights Law, and 42 U.S. Code §
1983, in addition to the Executive Chamber’s own equal employment policies.
Jennifer Kennedy Park, Abena Mainoo, and Rahul Mukhi from
the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP were all deputized —
in addition to Joon H. Kim — as Special Deputies to the First Deputy
Attorney General to conduct the investigation and issue this report.
Yannick Grant from the law firm Vladeck, Raskin
& Clark, P.C. was deputized — in addition to Anne L. Clark — as a
Special Deputy to the First Deputy Attorney General to conduct the
investigation and issue this report. A number of
other attorneys from both Cleary Gottlieb and Vladeck were appointed as
Special Assistants to the First Deputy Attorney General to assist with the investigation.
Appendix
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Appendix
II
Appendix III
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