Andrew Cuomo Wins Lawsuit Seeking To Seize $5 Million In Book Profits

Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former Governor of New York, recently won a lawsuit filed against him for a book he published while in office. The former governor reportedly earned around $5.1 million from a book deal using state resources while in office.

The memoir, American Crisis, was a reflection on the former governor’s leadership skills during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit sought to take the profits Cuomo earned from the book. The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) filed the motion to obtain the entirety of the $5.1 million he earned.

On Tuesday, Albany County Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman issued a decision that sided with Cuomo after a drawn-out legal battle with JCOPE.

The judge stated that the former governor did not violate any explicit rule, rather Cuomo violated JCOPE’s rules, which were not a violation of “statute.”

“JCOPE was seeking to impose sanctions for Cuomo’s alleged non-compliance with JCOPE’s outside activities rules,” Hartman wrote, “impose sanctions only for violation of the statute, not for violations of JCOPE’s rules.”

Cuomo’s attorneys released a statement and said the lawsuit was “shameful.” They also said the actions by JCOPE were “utter lawlessness.”

“JCOPE’s utter lawlessness in its treatment of Governor Cuomo has been exposed and the rule of law prevailed,” the statement read. “JCOPE’s conduct was shameful, unlawful, and a waste of taxpayer’s funds.”

Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo has won his lawsuit against the now-defunct JCOPE, meaning he doesn't have to repay the money he got from his COVID book deal. But the judge seemed to leave the door open for the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government to impose penalties pic.twitter.com/RBLA9wXvQ8

— Rebecca C. Lewis (@_rebeccaclewis) August 16, 2022