As part of a settlement with the Executive Chamber announced Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 13 women during his time in office.

The conclusion stems from an investigation headed by the state’s attorney general (AG), Letitia James, released in August 2021, that accused Cuomo of sexually harassing 11 women. After pressure from prominent Democrats, including President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s majority leader, Cuomo resigned on Aug. 23 of that year.

“The [DOJ] found that [Cuomo] sexually harassed multiple women and created a hostile work environment, confirming what the [AG’s] independent report found over two years ago,” a spokesperson for the office said. “Cuomo can continue to deny the truth and attack these women, but the facts do not lie.”

Cuomo was succeeded by Kathy Hochul, his lieutenant governor, who won a full term in 2022. The settlement between the DOJ and Hochul’s administration formalized existing reforms implemented by Hochul, including expanding the human resources department in the Executive Office, new procedures for reporting instances of harassment and more comprehensive anti-retaliation programs.

No charges have been brought against Cuomo — who, along with his representatives — has denied wrongdoing since the release of James’ report.

“Unsupported allegations are the hallmark of injustice,” Cuomo’s attorney Rita Glavin wrote in a statement. “Enough of this anonymous ‘trust us’ nonsense. Who did DOJ subpoena? Who, if anyone, did DOJ put under oath? Who are these ‘new’ nameless people and what did they actually say? Why didn’t DOJ bother to contact [Cuomo]? This is a sham investigation propping up another sham investigation.”

Hochul has made several public statements mentioning progress implemented at the top of the state government since she took office, specifically the work done to “root out the culture of harassment” that had “previously plagued the Executive Chamber.”

In the wake of the DOJ’s announcement and the work done by Hochul’s office, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo — who represents the 123rd Assembly district, which includes Binghamton — described efforts made within state government to curtail sexual harassment in the workplace.

“Every assemblymember and staffer takes an annual sexual harassment training, which is pretty thorough,” Lupardo wrote in an email. “Our zero-tolerance policy, along with consistent training, is a significant improvement over past practices. As for the governor’s office, as a result of the DOJ investigation, her office has agreed to address ‘system failures of the past while helping prevent the recurrence of systemic sexual harassment and retaliation in the future.’ We will closely follow what this might entail.”

The allegations against Cuomo and the release of James’ report culminated in the State Assembly conducting an independent investigation on the matter. In the lead-up to Cuomo’s resignation, many members of the Democratic supermajority released statements indicating support for Cuomo’s impeachment and removal.

The fallout from the Cuomo investigation had widespread consequences for many of his top allies. In December 2021, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras resigned [HYPERLINK https://www.bupipedream.com/news/auto-draft-1374/123891/] from his post amid controversy following comments he made about Lindsey Boylan, one of Cuomo’s accusers.

“Executive Chamber employees deserve to work without fear of sexual harassment and harsh reprisal when they oppose that harassment,” Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in the government’s release. “The conduct in the Executive Chamber under the former governor, the state’s most powerful elected official, was especially egregious because of the stark power differential involved and the victims’ lack of avenues to report and redress harassment.”