NYC lawmakers pushing bill to block Cuomo from using more taxpayer cash to sue AG James

Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News on Mar 31, 2025

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NEW YORK — Two Manhattan lawmakers are advancing legislation to try to block mayoral front-runner Andrew Cuomo from using taxpayer dollars to bring another lawsuit against his longtime political nemesis, New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The new bill, dubbed the “State Taxpayer Oversight and Protection Act,” or “STOP Act,” doesn’t mention Cuomo by name.

But the measure’s authors, downtown Manhattan Assemblywoman Grace Lee and Upper East Side state Sen. Liz Krueger, said they’re specifically bringing it in hopes of thwarting Cuomo’s effort to spend taxpayer dollars on lawyers to sue James over her investigation into the sexual misconduct accusations that led to his resignation as governor in 2021.

“New Yorkers have been forced to spend $60 million of our money to defend Andrew Cuomo and his administration,” Lee told the Daily News on Monday. “With this legislation we’re saying that this has to stop. We cannot continue to give him — or any politician — a blank check of taxpayer dollars.”

Krueger has endorsed one of Cuomo’s opponents, Brad Lander, in June’s Democratic mayoral primary. Lee hasn’t offered an endorsement in the mayoral race yet.

Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s mayoral campaign spokesman, blasted their new bill as “a pathetic attempt at constitutionally dubious lawfare.”

“The city is in crisis and these two New York City legislators have done nothing over the past three years to help it,” Azzopardi said. “The city is in crisis and Sen. Krueger and Assembly member Lee have done absolutely nothing over the last three years to improve affordability, public safety or quality of life in New York. By the way, they leave out that when these matters go to court we win.’

Cuomo, a favorite to win June’s mayoral primary, has denied engaging in sexual harassment, but he apologized upon his resignation for making “people feel uncomfortable.”

Word of the new bill in Albany comes after state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office revealed in March that New York taxpayers have spent nearly $60 million on lawyers for Cuomo and his top aides as part of the various scandals that led to his 2021 political downfall.

A significant chunk, about $18 million, has been spent on private attorneys to defend Cuomo and his top aides against civil sexual harassment cases brought against them by the 11 women accusing the ex-gov of sexual misconduct, DiNapoli’s team found. Azzopardi noted taxpayer money was also spent on James’ investigation into Cuomo, including $6.6 million to the Cleary Gottlieb law firm, which her office retained to help in the probe.

DiNapoli’s auditors identified more than a dozen law firms they say got taxpayer dollars to work on Cuomo-related controversies.

In a move that could add to the hefty legal bills, Cuomo is suing DiNapoli to try to get the state to also cover his attorney fees as part of a case he’s bringing against James to obtain videos and unredacted transcripts of interviews conducted by the AG’s team as part of the sexual harassment probe. Cuomo alleges state law mandates he be entitled to legal representation in cases involving issues touching on his official actions as a state employee.

Cuomo already sued the AG in 2022, while alleging her probe into him was politically motivated.

The Lee-Krueger bill seeks to upend Cuomo’s bid to get more taxpayer-funded representation in his legal battle against James by stipulating that no legal fees “shall be paid if incurred on behalf of an employee in any action brought by the employee against the state.”

The bill would also make it so individual state employees cannot get taxpayer funds to hire multiple law firms to work on the same case unless there’s a documented reason for why that’s necessary, another provision motivated by Cuomo’s legal tactics, Lee said.

Additionally, the measure would empower the state comptroller to block any state payments for legal fees “deemed unreasonable.”

The bill would need Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support to become law. Lee said she hasn’t spoken with Hochul about the matter yet, and a spokesman for the governor said she’ll “review the legislation if it passes the Senate and Assembly.”

Lee told The News she initially hoped to get some of the $60 million already spent on Cuomo’s cases returned to state coffers, but suggested she and Krueger, both Democrats, had to work within the frameworks of “what was legally possible.”

“I would love to see some of that money clawed back,” Lee said, adding that her office calculated $60 million could fund state child-care vouchers for some 2,600 toddlers.

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