NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A New York State Trooper who served as part of former-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s personal security detail sued him for sexual harassment Thursday.
The woman, who filed the lawsuit anonymously, alleges the disgraced governor sexually harassed her verbally multiple times and touched her inappropriately.
Cuomo resigned as governor in August of 2021 after a months-long series of scandals involving multiple allegations of sexual harassment and the cover up of data detailing mass deaths in New York nursing homes from COVID-19.
The lawsuit also names Melissa DeRosa, a top Cuomo aide, for working to cover up the harassment.
This isn’t the first time DeRosa has been accused of doing Cuomo’s dirty work. She was allegedly a key figure in the administration’s cover-up of the nursing home death data and she was named by Cuomo accuser Lindsey Boylan as a particularly egregious enabler of sexual harassment in the governor’s office.
She was also cited numerous times in Attorney General Letitia James’ report on Cuomo’s inappropriate behavior.
Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi was added to the lawsuit Friday alongside a retaliation claim after he tweeted a rant that described the suit as a "Un-American" and a "cheap cash extortion."
Attorneys for the trooper say they consider the Tweet to be retaliatory and intended to dissuade legal action.
“Trooper 1 will not be bullied into silence by Cuomo or his enablers," wrote the law firm representing the trooper in a statement. "The ex-Governor has continued to follow the harasser’s playbook of shaming and attacking his victims by falsely accusing Trooper 1 and our firm of extortion simply because she asserted her legal rights."
Azzopardi hasn't stopped tweeting since.
The trooper claims Cuomo repeatedly commented on her appearance, incessantly brought up sex and ran his finger up and down her spine.
The lawsuit alleges Cuomo abused the trooper from early 2018 all the way through mid-2021.
Cuomo has repeatedly denied the sexual harassment allegations from 11 women.
The former governor, who has been accused of using intimidation to keep sexual harassment victims and political enemies quiet, attacked James on Thursday, just hours before the trooper’s lawsuit became public.
While announcing his intention to file a complaint against James and return to public life, a spokesperson for Cuomo called the attorney general a “serial liar” who authored a “sham report.”
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