Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is countersuing a onetime aide of his who voluntarily dismissed a federal lawsuit she had filed against him and several of his aides two years ago alleging he sexually harassed her and then smeared her reputation.

Charlotte Bennett and her attorney Debra Katz posted on X earlier this month that Bennett was dropping her case against Cuomo top aides Melissa DeRosa, Jill DesRosiers and Judith Mogul, but the suit against the state, her employer at the time, will proceed.

Regarding those statements, Cuomo is accusing Bennett of defamation.

“Bennett’s agents tweeted this statement on December 9, 2024 with the headline: ‘Debra Katz and Charlotte Bennett issued statements on news that Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the SDNY against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her.’ Bennett reposted her agents’ tweet, which has garnered more than 90,000 views,” Cuomo’s suit reads. “The December 9 Defamatory Statement—which was intended to be and was widely disseminated and which was made in the wake of Bennett and her agents’ numerous prior public accusations against Governor Cuomo—was false and defamatory, and Bennett made it knowing full well that it was false and intending to cause harm to Governor Cuomo.”

Bennett filed the suit against the former governor in federal court in New York City in September 2022, alleging Cuomo subjected her to unwanted advances, including telling her he was “lonely” and on the hunt for a girlfriend and asking her if she would be open to sex with an older man. Cuomo has denied all harassment allegations against him.

Cuomo resigned as governor in August 2021 after state Attorney General Letitia James released the results of an investigation that concluded Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 11 women, including Bennett. Bennett played a critical role in Cuomo's eventual downfall. At the time she came forward with her accusations, only one other woman, Lindsey Boylan, had spoken publicly about being harassed by the governor.

When Bennett initially told her story to The New York Times, Cuomo appeared to acknowledge that he had hurt her with comments inappropriate for a workplace, but denied that he was making sexual advances. He claimed Bennett had misinterpreted his comments.

“Governor Cuomo did not make any sexual advances toward Bennett and did not sexually harass her,” Cuomo’s countersuit reads.

The former governor is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages.

Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Spectrum News the suit speaks for itself.

"I fully respect Charlotte’s decision to prioritize her well-being and safety and support her 100%. She was forced to drop her case because of the blank check New York State gave (and continues to give) Cuomo to turn the cases against him into state-sanctioned harassment of those women,” Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, said in a statement. “From requesting increasingly outrageous discovery documents like gynecological records and arguing for an unprecedented number of depositions while asking for more, Cuomo isn’t just wasting taxpayer dollars on his defense. He is actively retaliating against Charlotte and the other women — with New Yorkers footing the bill.”