NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Lawyer Gloria Allred on Monday introduced another woman who claims Gov. Andrew Cuomo acted inappropriately towards her.
In a virtual press conference with Allred, Sherry Vill, 55, claimed the governor held her face and kissed her on the cheek “in a very aggressive manner,” making her feel “manhandled” during a visit to her home in Greece, New York.
Vill notes the governor had visited the outside of her home in May 2017 to survey damage caused by flooding from Lake Ontario.
She says she first met the governor inside her home and expressed to him her concerns about her home and the flood damage.
"That's when the governor looked at me, approached me, took my hand, and pulled me to him," she said. "He leaned down over me and kissed my cheek. I was holding my small dog in my arms and I thought he was going to pet my dog, but instead he wedged his face between the dog and mine and kissed me on the other cheek."
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Vill says she was left feeling uncomfortable and Cuomo defended the kiss, saying "That's what Italians do, kiss both cheeks."
"I felt shocked and didn't understand what had just happened but I knew felt embarrassed and weird about his kissing me," Vill said.
The 55-year-old did not go with Cuomo to survey the damage to the outside of the home, and instead waited in the front yard, where she says a second kissing incident occurred.
“After seeing the damages, the governor then circled to the front of the house where I was standing. He then approached me, he took my hand and said, ‘Is there anything else you want?’ I didn’t know how to respond,” Vill said. “He then leaned down on top of me and while still holding one of my hands, he forcibly grabbed my face, with his other big hand and kissed my cheek.”
Vill said she was unable to break away from his grasp or block him, because she was holding her dog in her arms.
“The way he looked at me and his body language made me very uncomfortable,” the 55-year-old said of the incident. “I felt he was acting in a highly flirtatious and inappropriate manner, especially in front of my family and neighbors.”
Allred notes that Vill has been married for 30 years, is a mother to three children and grandmother to one.
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Vill says she hoped the ordeal would have ended after the kiss, but notes that she received a call later on from a Cuomo staffer, inviting her to an event that the governor was hosting near her home. She stressed that her husband and her family were not invited.
The 55-year-old says she “purposefully did not respond to the invitation.”
After neglecting to respond to the governor’s invitation, Vill says Cuomo sent her a letter and photos of him and her together.
“The whole thing was so strange and inappropriate and still makes me nervous and afraid because of his power and position,” Vill said.
The mother of three says the governor’s actions have had a long-term affect on her, with neighbors and acquaintances referring to her as “the governor’s new girlfriend” – which she “did not like at all.”
She says as a businesswoman who interacts with men daily she knows “the difference between an innocent gesture and a sexual one” and says: “I never felt as uncomfortable as I did the day Gov. Cuomo came to my home.”
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“The governor’s actions have continued to bother me and I have expressed that to my family many times,” Vill said. “However, I was always afraid to report this. I am still afraid of him but, I am no longer willing to remain silent and that is why I am coming forward today.”
During the conference call, Allred revealed a photo of the governor kissing Vill on the cheek, outside of her home in Greece, New York.
Vill is believed to be the tenth woman to come forward with allegations against Gov. Cuomo.
This is not the first time Cuomo has been accused of kissing a woman on her face without consent.
Two weeks ago, a current Cuomo aide told the New York Times that the governor kissed her on the head during a Christmas party in 2019, among other accusations.
A lawyer for Cuomo told the Times that the governor “has greeted men and women with hugs and a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand.” The lawyer also insisted that he has been known to use Italian phrases, such as “Ciao, Bella,” but meant no harm.
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The governor is continuing to hold his ground, responding to calls for his resignation by asking for due process.
Cuomo has denied inappropriately touching anyone, but he has said he is sorry if he made anyone uncomfortable and didn’t intend to do so.
Rita Glavin, who represents the governor, issued a statement Monday saying, "During times of crisis, the Governor has frequently sought to comfort New Yorkers with hugs and kisses. As I have said before, the Governor has greeted both men and women with hugs, a kiss on the cheek, forehead or hand for the past forty years."
Glavin shared a link to photographs of the governor's visit to Greece, New York from that day.
"Nothing described at today's press conference was unique in that regard," Glavin said. "Three other related points concerning Gloria Alfred's press conference: (1) the July 19, 2017 letter from the Governor that Ms. Allred displayed was a nearly identical follow-up form letter sent to more than 30 people that the Governor visited to support and assist following the Lake Ontario flooding, and those form letters were signed with an autopen; (2) it is a practice of the Governor's office to send signed photos to people he meets with after events, and those photos are regularly signed with an autopen; (3) it is common for staffers to contact constituents after events and invite them to a future event on a related topic."
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