NEW YORK (AP) — A female who lodged a sexual harassment allegation versus previous CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was “disgusted” by what she noticed as his hypocrisy and tries to discredit women of all ages who produced related allegations from his brother, her attorney stated Sunday.
The woman’s grievance became acknowledged shortly immediately after CNN fired the “Cuomo Primary Time” anchor Saturday night. Chris Cuomo had been criticized for breaching journalistic ethics by attempting to enable his brother, previous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, beat his have harassment charges.
The girl, who has picked to remain anonymous, took her allegations in opposition to Chris Cuomo to CNN on Wednesday via her attorney, Debra Katz.
Katz did not give any specifics about the alleged conduct, considered to have transpired ahead of Cuomo joined CNN in 2013. Prior to that, he worked at ABC News.
Chris Cuomo, by means of a spokesman, reported the charges were untrue. “If the goal in making these false and unvetted accusations was to see Mr. Cuomo punished by CNN, that may well make clear his unwarranted termination,” the spokesman claimed.
Katz also tied Cuomo’s firing to the accusations, saying in a statement that “CNN acted instantly on my client’s criticism and fired Mr. Cuomo.”
CNN suspended Cuomo on Tuesday immediately after studying by means of paperwork released by New York’s legal professional standard that his actions in guidance of his brother ended up a lot more intensive than formerly regarded. A regulation company was hired by CNN to appear into Cuomo’s actions, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, then determined the network had trigger to fire him.
With the new misconduct allegations, the community had very little taste for another investigation and CNN chief Jeff Zucker knowledgeable Cuomo of the firing on Saturday.
Katz reported in Sunday’s statement that her consumer was determined by Cuomo’s statements, pertaining to allegations from his brother, that he cared deeply and profoundly about issues of sexual misconduct. The female also believed that Cuomo “played an lively part in attempting to smear women” who had accused his brother, she stated.
“Hearing the hypocrisy of Chris Cuomo’s on-air text and disgusted by his initiatives to check out to discredit these women of all ages, my client retained counsel to report his significant sexual misconduct to CNN,” the lawyer mentioned.
The new misconduct allegation arrives soon after a veteran Television govt, Shelley Ross, wrote a column for The New York Periods in September indicating Chris Cuomo experienced groped her at a get together 16 several years ago, when they both labored for ABC News. Cuomo informed the newspaper “I apologized to her then, and I intended it.”
In responding to criticism of his steps with regards to his brother, Cuomo has reported that he was simply just attempting to help him — telling his CNN audience soon immediately after Andrew Cuomo resigned in August that “it’s in no way effortless getting in this company and coming from a political family.”
“I by no means attacked, nor inspired any individual to assault, any lady who arrived ahead,” Cuomo mentioned on the air. “I never manufactured calls to the push about my brother’s problem.”
Nonetheless, in an e mail from final March recently unveiled by the New York attorney common, Cuomo informed 1 of his brother’s aides that “I have a lead on the wedding lady.” It was in reference to a female who mentioned in news stories she was awkward with how the governor touched her when they fulfilled at a wedding ceremony.
Chris Cuomo, in testimony to Lawyer Typical Letitia James’ investigators, described that a “source” experienced known as him and suggested that possibly the accuser experienced “been put up to” generating the accusation. He relayed that to his brother’s aides, on the other hand they explained to him the girl had designed her discomfort regarded shortly right after it transpired.
Cuomo also testified to investigators — a month just before he informed CNN viewers he experienced not named the press about his brother’s problem — that he experienced achieved out privately to media figures to obtain out if there would be other accusers.
Cuomo has claimed he never experimented with to affect his own network’s protection of his brother’s challenges, and no evidence has emerged that he did.
His firing leaves a hole in CNN’s weeknight lineup. Even when competing in the very same time slot with marketplace heavyweights Sean Hannity on Fox Information Channel and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Cuomo was normally the most-viewed individuality on CNN.
Michael Smerconish will substitute for him this 7 days.
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Connected Push reporter David Porter contributed to this report.
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