Andrew Cuomo is facing a sexual assault suit against a former aide who says he groped her

Brittany Commisso, a former aide to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo who accused him of groping her in late 2020, is suing him under the state’s Adult Survivors Act for what she described as “general abuse,” according to court documents. .

In the papers, Ms. Commisso accused Mr. Cuomo of “ongoing sexual harassment” and of retaliating against her after she rejected his advances and reported his behavior.

Ms. Commisso’s allegations against Mr. Cuomo are not new, and he has long denied them.

In 2021, she filed a formal criminal complaint against Mr. Cuomo with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated and filed charges against him. Albany County prosecutors decided not to prosecute, saying that while they were “deeply troubled” and found Ms. Commisso “cooperative and credible,” they concluded they could not meet their burden of proof at trial .

The court papers filed by Ms. Commisso on Tuesday were used to initiate a lawsuit and will be followed by a complaint, according to court rules.

The legal action came just days before the expiration of the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which gave people who said they were sexually assaulted in New York a year to sue their alleged attackers, even if the statute of limitations had expired.

This week, New York Mayor Eric Adams was accused in a similar lawsuit of assaulting a Florida woman 30 years ago. Mr Adams has denied the allegation and said he could not remember ever meeting the accuser.

Rita Glavin, a lawyer for Mr. Cuomo, said in a statement Friday: “Ms. Commisso’s claims are demonstrably false, which is why the Albany District Attorney dismissed the case two years ago after thorough investigation.

“Ms. Commisso’s transparent attempt to take money will fail,” said Ms. Glavin. “We look forward to seeing her in court.”

The legal action comes as Mr. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in August 2021 following a series of sexual misconduct allegations, is said to be once again considering a return to public office, sparking fierce debate among Democrats.

“I am disgusted that Andrew Cuomo is even considering running for public office,” Ms. Commisso said, adding that he had refused “to accept responsibility or even acknowledge his sexual harassment against me, aside from numerous other victims, while the governor of our state.”

According to Ms. Commisso’s court papers, the ongoing harassment she suffered included “unwelcome sexual advances, serial comments about appearance and personal matters,” hugs, kisses, sexual touching of her buttocks and forcible touching of her breasts.

She says she faced professional retaliation, including being reassigned to the “humiliating job of answering phones in the lieutenant governor’s office,” a decision she says was made by then-lieutenant. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is now governor.

Avi Small, a spokesman for Ms. Hochul, said Friday: “The allegation regarding then-Lieutenant Governor Hochul is clearly a mistake as she had no control over the Executive Chamber’s personnel decisions.”

Ms. Hochul is not named as a defendant, merely quoted in a summary of the allegations in Ms. Commisso’s lawsuits.

Mr. Cuomo told Politico in October that he might run for office again, but a spokesman indicated last week that the former governor, who was touring Sicily with his daughters, had no firm plans.

New York Democrats have noted an online poll circulating this month that appears to be linked to Mr. Cuomo. The poll tested messages related to the sexual harassment allegations against him and his performance in office, according to screenshots shared with The New York Times.