WOMEN VOW TO KEEP UP FIGHT
Gov gone, but more justice is lying ahead
The women nearly bullied into silence after speaking out against Gov. Cuomo breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday after he resigned. But the saga that has wrecked their lives, and sent the disgraced leader’s once-bright political career into a death spiral, is far from over.
Brittany Commisso, who levied the strongest claims against the governor when she told Attorney General Letitia James that Cuomo groped her breast, has filed a criminal complaint against the disgraced leader that could lead to his arrest and misdemeanor charges.
Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to come forward with allegations against Cuomo, claiming that he kissed her on the lips without warning and once suggested the two play strip poker while aboard a state plane, is planning civil legal action against him.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in five New York counties — including Nassau, Manhattan, Westchester, Albany and Oswego — have launched separate criminal probes following the report’s substantiations of forcible touching of multiple women.
Following the governor’s resignation, Boylan wrote on Twitter that all she ever wanted was for Cuomo to “stop his abusive behavior,” but it became “abundantly clear” that was a request he was unable to oblige. Instead, Boylan said he doubled down on his defense, lashed out at his victims and attacked their credibility in a desperate attempt to cling to the office that was rapidly slipping from his grasp.
“It is a tragedy that so many stood by and watched these abuses happen,” Boylan wrote.
“I am thankful for the attorney general, the investigators and all those who have pursued the truth despite intimidation and threats of retaliation,” she continued.
“Most importantly, I am in awe of the strength of the other women who risked everything to come forward.”
Alyssa McGrath, a current aide who claimed Cuomo looked down her shirt, quizzed her about her marital status and told her she was beautiful in a series of awkward and increasingly inappropriate interactions, tapped high-profile sexual-assault attorney Mariann Wang to represent her.
So did Virginia Limmiatis, an employee of a private energy company, who accused Cuomo of touching her chest during a conservation event in upstate New York in May 2017.
“My clients feel both vindicated and relieved that Cuomo will no longer be in a position of power over anyone,” said Wang on behalf of the two women.
“His efforts, through his paid attorney, over the last few days to gaslight
and attack the brave women who came forward apparently served no purpose. Ms. McGrath and Ms. Limmiatis remain grateful that their voices and experiences were heard and substantiated by the AG’s investigators, and feel solidarity with all women who continue to be abused by men in power,” Wang said.
“At least today, one of them has faced some consequences.”
Charlotte Bennett, another former aide who said the governor told her he was open to relationships with women in their 20s and left her feeling that he “wanted to sleep with” her, has also tapped a prominent lawyer, Debra Katz.
“The Governor’s decision to resign is a testament to the growing power of women’s voices since the beginning of the #MeToo movement. It underscores that sexual harassment is no longer acceptable — no matter what office the harasser holds,” Katz said in a statement.
“Charlotte made the courageous decision to detail her own allegations to the public and to share her voluminous documentary evidence with investigators. Her contemporaneous text messages and emails and her sworn testimony demonstrated incontrovertibly that the Governor sexually harassed her at work.”
Anna Ruch, 33, said the governor made unwanted advances toward her and planted a kiss on her cheek at a 2019 wedding reception in Manhattan.“He said, ‘Can I kiss you?’ ” Ruch recalled. “I was so confused and shocked and embarrassed.”
The state trooper who claimed the governor touched her inappropriately while she was working on his protective detail, identified in the report only as “Trooper #1,” has chosen women’s-rights attorney Gloria Allred to represent her.
“She has no plans to do interviews with the press but feels that the governor did the right thing by deciding to resign,” Allred told reporters.
The officer had told probers Cuomo touched the stomach and back, kissed her on the cheek, asked for her help in finding a girlfriend and asked why she didn’t wear a dress.
Karen Hinton, a former aide to Cuomo who was not part of James’ probe but previously alleged he gave her an inappropriate hug in 2000 while aroused, tweeted that the resignation marked a “sad day.”
“I’m not celebrating Gov’s resignation but I do celebrate power of women who came forward,” Hinton wrote.
“Like a Greek tragedy where a hero’s downfall is due 2 his own fatal flaws, Gov soared to dizzying heights & accomplished a great deal for NY - his fall was entirely of his own making.”