Judge Expected to Drop Cuomo Groping Charge at Virtual Court Hearing

Andrew Cuomo has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by several women as well as negligence causing deaths in discharging infected patients to care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. But he is yet to face trial over any of those allegations.

Disgraced former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo will be in court today — only to have a charge for groping a former staff member dropped.

Cuomo was set to appear remotely at at virtual hearing on Friday. But Albany County District Attorney David Soares indicated earlier in the week he would abandon the misdemeanour charges since he could not prove Brittany Commisso's accusations under current law.

The attorney wrote that “statutory elements of New York law make this case impossible to prove.”

Judge Holly Trexler said on Thursday the hearing would still have to go ahead.

Commisso alleges Cuomo put his hand up her blouse and groped her at the governor's Executive Mansion in Albany in December 2020.

On Tuesday she told the New York Post that Soares' decision not to pursue the case would deter “women from coming forward”.

“I don’t think that it’s teaching anyone anything,” she said. “It’s not showing or proving a good message.”