An Albany City Court judge formally dismissed a criminal complaint against former New York City Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday in the ex-official's virtual appearance for his first court hearing in the sexual harassment case.
Some expected the dismissal of the charge after Tuesday when Albany County District Attorney David Soares said that he refused to prosecute 64-year-old Cuomo for allegedly forcibly touching female aide Brittany Commisso while the two were at the governor's executive mansion in late 2020. The charge was previously considered by authorities as a misdemeanor.
Formal Dismissal
In a statement, Soares said that while many people may have had an opinion regarding the allegations against the former governor, the Albany County DA's office was the only one who took on the responsibility of proving the elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. They added that while the complainant was found to be cooperative and credible during the investigation, further review of available evidence led to the conclusion that they cannot meet the burden at the trial, CNBC reported.
Despite the allegations from several women, Cuomo has denied any wrongdoings, reaffirming his stance on Friday during the brief hearing. The ex-governors lawyer, Rita Glavin, said that the accusations simply did not happen and claimed that no jury would have found Commisso credible.
The beginning of the virtual hearing had a rough start, with several minutes having indiscernible noises and muffled speech from the courtroom. No statements or comments were given by Cuomo's representatives, Michael McDermott and Glavin regarding the complaints of "forcible touching." The defense instead focused their case and rested on paperwork and evidence that were previously filed, Fox News reported.
The dismissed case is one of the most serious legal threats that Cuomo was facing in relation to his alleged mistreatment of women, an issue that forced him to resign roughly four months ago. The ex-governors scheduled court appearance was the last procedural step that prosecutors needed to drop the charge against Cuomo.
Andrew Cuomo's Appearance
The virtual meeting was also Cuomo's first public appearance since stepping down from office in August, lying low for months prior. He was occasionally seen sending emails to supporters or in photographs that were posted on social media platforms where he was seen celebrating his birthday with his daughter and fishing with his dog which was named Captain.
While many from the New York political classes have moved on from Cuomo due to the string of scandals that the former governor faced, in recent weeks, he was able to reach out to some of his remaining allies. His supporters believed that Cuomo was interested in planning a return to public life despite the minuscule possibility of the attempt.
During the virtual hearing, Judge Holly Trexler, who was the one who formally dismissed the criminal charge, compelled Cuomo to appear. She said that it was a matter of the People of the State of New York versus the former governor.
From her notes, Trexler said that the court was fully aware of the fact that the district attorney's office had the discretion of determining whether or not to prosecute a particular suspect or case, the New York Times reported.
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