Governor Cuomo was found to have sexually harassed many women and to have broken state and federal laws, according to independent investigators.

Governor Cuomo was found to have sexually harassed many women and to have broken state and federal laws, according to independent investigators.

Independent investigators led by Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark, who was appointed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, published their findings today investigating several complaints of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The investigation determined that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed several women, including former and present state workers, by engaging in unwanted touching, kissing, and embracing, as well as making improper comments, over the course of about five months. In addition, the governor and his top staff took steps to retaliate against at least one former employee who spoke out. Finally, the Executive Chamber created a "toxic" workplace that allowed "harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment," according to the investigators. Governor Cuomo's and the Executive Chamber's actions were found to be in violation of multiple state and federal laws, as well as the Executive Chamber's own written policies.

The investigation was launched after the Executive Chamber requested that Attorney General James select independent lawyers to investigate "allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual harassment claims made against the governor" on March 1, 2021, in accordance with New York Executive Law Section 63(8). Kim and Clark were chosen to lead the investigation on March 8, 2021.

“Today is a terrible day for New York because independent investigators have found that Governor Cuomo sexually assaulted several women and breached the law in doing so,” Attorney General James stated. “I am grateful to all of the ladies who bravely came forward to share their experiences in great detail, allowing investigators to uncover the truth. No male, no matter how powerful, has the right to abuse women or break our human rights laws.”

Several women have come forward with claims that Governor Cuomo sexually assaulted them beginning in December 2020. The investigators spoke with 179 people over the course of the inquiry. Complainants, current and past members of the Executive Chamber, State Troopers, various state workers, and others who engaged with the governor on a regular basis were among those interrogated. During the inquiry, more than 74,000 documents, emails, messages, and photos were examined as evidence.

Several women have come forward with claims that Governor Cuomo sexually assaulted them beginning in December 2020. The investigators spoke with 179 people over the course of the inquiry. Complainants, current and past members of the Executive Chamber, State Troopers, various state workers, and others who engaged with the governor on a regular basis were among those interrogated. During the inquiry, more than 74,000 documents, emails, messages, and photos were examined as evidence.

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.

Governor Cuomo also sat with the interviewers and answered questions under oath as part of the inquiry. While the governor rejected the most severe charges, investigators discovered that he did so by making "blanket denials" or claiming a "lack of recall as to particular occurrences." The governor's recall also "stood in sharp contrast to the intensity, specificity, and corroboration of the complainants' recollections, as well as the testimonies of numerous other persons who gave observations and experiences of the governor's actions," according to the investigators.

The investigators also discovered that the Executive Chamber was "rife with fear and intimidation," which "allowed the above-described incidents of harassment to occur," as well as "creating a hostile work environment overall." Furthermore, Governor Cuomo and the Executive Chamber participated in "retaliatory" action by "intended to defame and denigrate" a former employee who came out with her harassment claim.

The investigation found that Governor Cuomo's sexual harassment of multiple women, as well as his and the Executive Chamber's retaliation against a former employee for reporting sexual harassment, violated a number of 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 policies.

In addition to Joon H. Kim, the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP's Jennifer Kennedy Park, Abena Mainoo, and Rahul Mukhi were all deputized as Special Deputies to the First Deputy Attorney General to conduct the inquiry and deliver this report. Yannick Grant of Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C. is a lawyer. To conduct the inquiry and release this report, he was deputized as a Special Deputy to the First Deputy Attorney General, alongside Anne L. Clark. To help with the inquiry, a number of other attorneys from Cleary Gottlieb and Vladeck were assigned as Special Assistants to the First Deputy Attorney General.