In a statement released on Sunday after CNN announced Cuomo had been fired, attorney Debra Katz said she was disturbed by the anchor’s “hypocrisy” for claiming on television that he had “always cared very deeply” about women’s issues, while simultaneously aiding his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, with his sexual misconduct defense.
Katz then revealed that in the wake of the scandal, her client had decided to come out with her own allegation of sexual misconduct against the CNN anchor.
“Disgusted by his efforts to try to discredit these women, my client retained counsel to report his serious sexual misconduct against her to CNN,” Katz said, claiming that the allegation was presented to CNN on December 1 – just a few days before Cuomo’s dismissal.
“My client came forward at this time because she felt in sharing her story and related documentation, she could help protect other women,” the statement continued, adding that the accuser would “continue to cooperate with CNN’s investigation into her allegations.”
Katz concluded that the woman would like to remain anonymous “given the nature of her allegations,” and asked the media and public to “respect this decision.”
Cuomo was temporarily suspended from CNN last week pending investigation into his connection to his brother’s misconduct defense. Cuomo was ultimately fired on Saturday after the network said “additional information” had “come to light” in its investigation.
In his own statement on Saturday, Cuomo said the scandal was not how he wanted his “time at CNN to end” before defending the aid he provided to his brother and praising the achievements of his show. Following news of the sexual misconduct accusation on Sunday, a representative to Cuomo reportedly told TMZ that the “apparently anonymous allegations are not true.”
However, it is not the first time that Cuomo has been accused of sexual misconduct.
In September, Cuomo’s former boss at ABC News, Shelley Ross, accused the anchor of grabbing her buttocks in front of her husband at a party in 2005. Cuomo allegedly acknowledged his wrongdoing in an email to Ross, claiming to be “ashamed” of his actions and noting that actor Christian Slater had been arrested over a “similar act.”
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