Andrew Cuomo (Photo by Shannon Stapleton-Pool/Getty Images)
It’s been a year since former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations and while he has hinted at his return to politics since then, he’s currently gearing up for a legal battle involving the very woman who was instrumental in getting him out of office. According to reports, Andrew Cuomo has officially filed a lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James due to his claims that she improperly handled his legal representation request.
@TheHill reports, Andrew Cuomo has taken legal action against New York AG Letitia James due to his allegations that she improperly rejected his request for legal representation in his sexual misconduct lawsuit that ultimately led to his resignation. The lawsuit alleges that James arbitrarily denied the use of taxpayer funds to pay for Cuomo’s legal counsel, which is contrary to New York law. Underneath that law, it states that the governor is entitled to defense in any civil action alleged while he was acting “within the scope of his public employment or duties.”
Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Andrew Cuomo says that on March 7th he contacted Letitia James’s office and requested she provide legal counsel or approve private legal counsel in Cuomo’s defense against the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct. However, he claims that she denied the request a month later without providing a basis for her decision. Cuomo is asking, via the lawsuit, for the court to formally vacate James’s previous denial, declare she had a conflict of interest and refused to allow Cuomo to use private counsel paid for by the state of New York.
In response to the lawsuit, Letitia James slammed the former governor with an official statement. “Andrew Cuomo is trying to force New Yorkers to pay his legal bills because he believes sexual harassment was within his ‘scope of employment’ as governor.”
She continued, adding “Sexually harassing young women who work for you is not part of anyone’s job description. Taxpayers should not have to pony up for legal bills that could reach millions of dollars so Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer can attack survivors of his abuse.”
