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ALBANY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo faces new allegations of sexual harassment from a Rochester-area woman who says the governor held her hand, grabbed her face and kissed her on the cheek twice without his permission while visiting his family’s residence following a 2017 flood in central New York City.
Sherry Vill, 55, and her lawyer Gloria Allred detailed the allegations at a virtual press conference on Monday and provided a photo – taken from a screenshot of a video shot by Vill’s son – which showed the governor kissing the married mother on the cheek during the storm. – Response visit. Allred said the allegations make Vill the tenth woman to accuse Cuomo of “inappropriate sexual conduct.”
Vill and Allred said the governor’s unwanted advances were followed by a letter he personally sent to Vill – not to mention her husband or children who were also at the residence. An unidentified member of the governor’s staff also called Vill to invite him to attend an event with the governor, without mentioning her husband or other family members.
Allred said her client, who is a mother, grandmother and businesswoman, was “the victim of the governor’s unwelcome and unwanted physical contact with her.”
They do not consider filing a complaint but will contact the state attorney general’s office – which is investigating multiple allegations of sexual harassment and improper conduct against Cuomo – on Monday afternoon, Allred said, including the law firm specializes in sexual harassment cases.
“For years she wanted to report what Governor Cuomo had done to her, but some members of her family discouraged her from filing a complaint because they wanted to protect her and they feared that if she made public what was to her. arrived, the governor could use his power to retaliate against her and her family, ”Allred said. “Because of this, Sherry made the difficult decision to remain silent.
The incident took place on May 28, 2017, Vill said, as the governor and his entourage visited their neighborhood in Greece, northwest of Rochester, which had been damaged by flooding in Lake Ontario.
Vill said she came home from work “to see all the commotion” and one of Cuomo’s staff asked if they could enter the couple’s lakeside residence.
“I arrived shortly after and when I walked in I said to the governor, ‘do you think we have to live like this?” ”She recalls. “It was then that the governor looked at me and walked over to me, took my hand and pulled me towards him. He leaned over me and kissed my cheek. I was holding my little one. dog in my arm and thought he was going to stroke my dog, but instead he stuck his face between the dog and mine and kissed me on the other cheek, in which I was feeling was (a) highly sexual mother. “
Vill said the governor told him at the time that he was Italian and that “that’s what Italians do, kiss both cheeks”.
“I felt shocked and didn’t understand what had just happened, but I knew I felt embarrassed and weird about his kiss,” she says. “I’m Italian and in my family my family members hug each other. Strangers don’t kiss, especially when they meet someone for the first time.”
Recently, as a host of similar allegations have been made against Cuomo by women – including several current and former assistants – Vill has decided to “break his silence and overcome his fear … Recently, however, Sherry has decided that the people of New York deserve to know the truth and that Governor Cuomo should be held accountable for what he did. “
There are now at least nine women who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate conduct, including a current aide who alleges Cuomo groped her late last year at the Executive Mansion.
“I have never touched anyone inappropriately,” Cuomo said earlier this month as allegations of improper conduct mounted. “I never made improper advances … (and) nobody ever told me at the time that I made them uncomfortable. Obviously, there were people who said afterwards they felt uncomfortable. “
The allegations are being investigated by the state attorney general’s office, which hired two private attorneys to investigate: Joon H. Kim, former acting U.S. prosecutor for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, and Anne L. Clark, specializing in employment law and sexual harassment cases.
The State Assembly has also launched an impeachment inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment as well as Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes.
Two weeks ago, Cuomo rejected calls from dozens of fellow Democrats in the state and congressional legislature to ask him to step down immediately – or step down and allow Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to take the lead. state pending the outcome of the investigations. .
“I will not speculate on the possible motivations of people. But I can tell you that as a former Attorney General who has been through this situation many times, there are often many reasons for making an allegation. And that’s why you need to know the facts before you make a decision, “Cuomo said on March 12.” People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to nullify culture and truth. “
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