DOJ and NY Executive Chamber settle after Cuomo scandal

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that it reached a settlement agreement with the New York State Executive Chamber in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The announcement noted that "Cuomo and many complicit senior staff left the Executive Chamber in 2021."

The agreement memorializes reforms that have already been put in place since Gov. Kathy Hochul took office along with making recommendations. They include expanding the Executive Chamber's human resources department, creating new procedures for investigating external complaints, and developing training and anti-retaliation programs.

Some actions already taken and memorialized in the agreement include:

• Removing employees who were seen to have facilitated Cuomo's conduct or engaged in retaliation.
• Renewed emphasis and education on employee relation issues, along with mandatory training.
• Launching a sexual harassment hotline.
• Allowing employees to file anonymous complaints.

Cuomo was never criminally charged. Even so, the DOJ investigation, conducted by the Civil Rights Division along with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District, found that Cuomo's Executive Chamber:

1. Subjected female employees to a sexually hostile work environment
2. Tolerated that environment and failed to correct the problem on an agency-wide basis
3. Retaliated against employees who spoke out about the harassment

Ultimately, DOJ and the New York Attorney General's Office both determined that Cuomo "engaged in a pattern or practice of sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." Just last week, he sued Attorney General Letitia James and her office, trying to force the release of full interviews and statements from the her investigation.

Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin released a statement through a spokesperson, saying:

Governor Cuomo did not sexually harass anyone. The DOJ “investigation” was based entirely on the NYS Attorney General’s deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased, and misleading report. At no point did DOJ even contact Governor Cuomo concerning these matters. This is nothing more than a political settlement with no investigation. The NYS Police and NYS disagree with and are actively defending against the claims by Trooper 1 and Charlotte Bennett in their lawsuits, with NYS going so far as to say in a court filing that Ms. Bennett’s allegations do not constitute sexual harassment, stating: “[Ms. Bennett’s] allegations constitute petty slights and/or trivial inconveniences that are not actionable.

Cuomo's camp also highlighted Cause 35 of the agreement:

This Agreement, being entered into with the Parties’ consent, shall not constitute an adjudication or finding on the merits of the case, nor be construed as an admission of liability by the Executive Chamber, New York State, or its agencies.

Reade the full settlement agreement here.