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Groping Charge Against Cuomo Is Dismissed
A brief court appearance brought to a close one of the most serious legal threats the former governor faced over the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation.
Politics
A judge dismissed a criminal complaint on Friday against Andrew M. Cuomo, the former governor of New York, that had accused him of groping a former aide in the Executive Mansion in late 2020.
The charge was dismissed during a virtual arraignment in Albany City Court that lasted just seven minutes. Mr. Cuomo’s personal lawyer briefly shifted the camera during the appearance, offering a seconds-long glimpse of Mr. Cuomo, who wore a black mask and a dark suit with a blue tie.
Mr. Cuomo was not to be seen again as Judge Holly Trexler exchanged some words with his lawyers and the prosecutors and, as expected, granted their request to drop the sex crime charge against the former governor.
The mostly perfunctory appearance brought to a close one of the most serious legal threats Mr. Cuomo had faced over allegations involving his treatment of women, which led to his resignation just four months ago.
In practice, his scheduled court appearance was the last procedural step necessary for prosecutors to drop the charge against Mr. Cuomo after the Albany County district attorney announced on Tuesday that he would not pursue the case.
The district attorney had said that while he was troubled by the allegations and had found the former aide, Brittany Commisso, to be credible, it would be too difficult to prove a criminal case.
But the arraignment of Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat who held outsize sway in Albany for over a decade, made for a remarkable sight.
It was his first public appearance since he stepped down in August, after lying low for months. He occasionally popped up in emails to supporters or in pictures posted on social media — celebrating his birthday with his daughter, fishing with his dog, Captain.
Though most of the New York political class has turned the page on Mr. Cuomo after a string of scandals tarnished his reputation, he has reached out to some of his remaining allies in recent weeks. They were left with the impression that he was interested in mounting a return to public life, however unlikely or far-off that possibility remains.