BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - A woman from a Rochester suburb is the latest accuser to claim sexual harassment by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Sherry Vill from Greece claims the governor kissed her on multiple occasions while visiting the region on May 28, 2017 to examine flooding in the region caused by Lake Ontario.
"Governor Cuomo went into my house with my husband's son, his staff, and some town officials," Vill said. "I came in shortly afterwards and when I walked in I said 'Do you think we have to live like this?' That's when the governor looked at me, approached me, took my hand, and pulled me to him. He leaned down over me and kissed my cheek."
Vill, 55, said she felt like Cuomo's kiss was conducted in a "highly sexual manner".
"He said 'That's what Italians do. Kiss both cheeks,'" she claimed. "I felt shocked and didn't understand what just happened but knew I felt embarrassed and weird about him kissing me. I am Italian. In my family, family members kiss. Strangers do not kiss, especially upon meeting someone for the first time."
When Cuomo left the home to survey additional damage, she claims he told her she was beautiful, only adding to her discomfort. Vill did not follow because she was uncomfortable with what happened in her own living room.
Later, Governor Cuomo returned to the house, took Vill's hand, and asked her if there was anything else she wanted.
"I didn't know how to respond," she said. "He then leaned down on top of me. While still holding one of my hands, he forcibly grabbed my face with his other big hand and grabbed my cheek, again in a very aggressive manner. I felt like I was being manhandled, especially because he was holding my face and he was kissing my cheek again. I could not use my other hand to stop him because he did it so quickly and I was holding my dog with my other hand."
Days later, Vill received a call from Cuomo's staff saying the governor would be back in town. The female staffer, who was not identified by Vill, told her the governor wanted her to attend the event.
"I purposely did not respond to the invitation," Vill said. "I felt very uneasy about the call. I was the only one who received the call and the personal invite from the governor."
Cuomo also sent Vill a letter with photos of their encounter. She said she was afraid because of the governor's power.
"This has had a long-term effect on me," Vill said. "My neighbors and customers kept saying I was the governor's new girlfriend and other similar comments, which I did not like at all...I know the difference between an innocent gesture and a sexual one. I never felt as uncomfortable as I did the day that Governor Cuomo came to my home. His actions were very overly sexual, highly inappropriate, and disrespectful to me and my family."
Gloria Allred, the attorney representing Vill, said Vill will cooperate with the investigation conducted by Attorney General Letitia James. She did not call for the resignation of the governor, saying there should be a thorough investigation and a report that is made public.
"Sherry decided that the people of New York deserve to know the truth and that Governor Cuomo should be held accountable for what he has done," Allred said. "For that reason, she has decided to break her silence and overcome her fear by speaking truth to power. She feels it is never too late to do the right thing."
An attorney for Cuomo, Rita Glavin, issued the following statement: "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. I encourage everyone to look at other photographs from his visit to Greece, NY that day. https://www.flickr.com/photos/governorandrewcuomo/albums/72157681436495503/with/34167299663/.
Nothing described at today's press conference was unique in that regard. Three other related points concerning Gloria Allred'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."
A series of women, some who worked for Cuomo, have accused him of making inappropriate comments about their looks, giving them unwanted hugs or kisses, or making comments they interpreted as gauging their interest in an affair. Among his accusers are two aides who still work in the governor's office. One, who has yet to speak publicly, reportedly said the governor groped her at the Executive Mansion last summer.
Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately but said he's sorry if he made anyone uncomfortable. The Democratic governor has brushed off widespread calls for his resignation and asked that people wait for the results of an investigation overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James.
Excerpts from the Associated Press contributed to this report
