By: Jared Evan

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has filed new court papers signaling his intent to sue one of his sexual harassment accusers, Charlotte Bennett, reigniting a years-long scandal that derailed his political career—but now conveniently resurfaces just as he attempts a political comeback as a so-called “centrist” candidate for mayor of New York City, The New York Post originally reported.

The legal document, filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, renews Cuomo’s claim that Bennett and her attorney Debra Katz made defamatory statements, even after Bennett voluntarily withdrew her federal lawsuit against Cuomo in December. His lawyers assert that Bennett acted with “intent to cause harm” by reposting public claims about Cuomo’s alleged misconduct, a move they claim is knowingly false and defamatory.

Cuomo’s team insists the allegations against him—originally detailed in a 2021 report by New York Attorney General Letitia James that found misconduct involving at least 11 women—have not held up in civil or criminal court. But rather than accept accountability, Cuomo is leaning into the same combative, manipulative style that defined his governorship, attempting to silence his accuser and rewrite the narrative as part of his rebranding effort.

This is the same Cuomo who, while claiming to be a centrist, spent years pushing some of the most reckless and dangerous far-left policies New York has ever seen. His disastrous bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for a wide range of serious crimes, has flooded New York City streets with repeat offenders and hardened criminals. Despite mounting evidence that the law endangered public safety, Cuomo repeatedly dismissed concerns, branding critics as fearmongers. The New York Post has extensively reported on the surge in violent crime and chaos following its implementation.

Cuomo’s sanctuary city policies were equally ruinous. Under his leadership, New York not only shielded undocumented immigrants from federal law enforcement but also allowed violent offenders to walk free—creating a legal black hole where even ICE couldn’t intervene. And now, as the migrant crisis strains the city’s resources, Cuomo feigns ignorance about the role his open-border sympathies played in creating it.

Yet Cuomo now attempts to recast himself as a rational moderate—despite years of pandering to the progressive fringe. It’s a shameless bait-and-switch aimed at misinformed voters, many of whom don’t realize that the man pitching himself as the “grown-up in the room” was the architect of many of the policies that have sent New York spiraling. Don’t be fooled: Andrew Cuomo is no centrist. He’s a woke opportunist in disguise.

Meanwhile, Bennett’s case continues to highlight the legal minefield survivors face. Though she dropped her lawsuit in December before giving a sworn deposition, New York State still settled with her for $450,000—just a sliver of the $9 million in taxpayer money already spent defending Cuomo and the state in these cases, The New York Post exclusively reported.

New legislation under review in Albany, known as the Speak Your Truth Act, seeks to protect accusers like Bennett from retaliatory defamation suits designed to silence them. “This is a tactic abusers use against their victims time and time again,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “They’re trying to silence victims.”

Supporters of the bill, including advocates and fellow lawmakers, say Cuomo’s latest move is a textbook case of legal intimidation meant to deter others from speaking out.