NY taxpayers fund Cuomo's $21M legal bill

3 min read Original article ↗

New Yorkers have shelled out another $1.3 million since late May to defend former Governor Andrew Cuomo against sexual harassment allegations, according to The City. The total tab for taxpayer-funded legal defense across all his harassment cases now exceeds $21 million.

The bulk of the money—$10.5 million—has gone toward defending Cuomo and state police in a lawsuit filed by a trooper on his security detail, identified in court documents as "Trooper 1." The discovery phase alone has dragged on for three and a half years and included 26 depositions, more than double the typical limit in federal civil cases.

State law entitles public employees to "reasonable litigation expenses" when accused of wrongdoing during their service. But these Cuomo cases aren't typical. They represent roughly one-third of all fees paid under this law across 249 cases since January 2020. One disgraced ex-governor is eating up a third of the entire fund.

The legal bills continued to mount even as Cuomo ran his failed 2025 mayoral campaign. Former aide Lindsey Boylan, named in the trooper's complaint, put it bluntly: "The only reason that he's able to continue to harass me is because New Yorkers are paying for it."

A recent court hearing saw more squabbling over medical records and access to witnesses. The judge denied additional depositions but reopened discovery in limited fashion. The meter keeps running.