Ex-DMV worker: New York Gov. Cuomo ignored sex assault claims

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Reuters)

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo repeatedly ignored a woman’s complaints about a “barrage” of unwanted sexual advances by one of his appointees, according to a federal lawsuit filed Saturday in New York City.

Lisa Marie Cater, 51, alleges that William “Sam” Hoyt, the former regional president of the public-benefit corporation Empire State Development Corp., stalked, groped and kissed her without consent for approximately one year, the New York Post reported.

Cater claims she was given the runaround when she called Cuomo’s office twice to complain about Hoyt’s conduct, the Post reported. She then emailed a complaint to the governor’s office and sent a message to Cuomo’s Facebook page, but was ignored each time, according to her lawsuit.

The alleged abuse, which Cater claims left her on the verge of a “nervous breakdown," began shortly after Hoyt helped Cater obtain a $30,000-a-year job at the state Division of Motor Vehicles in February 2016.

At the time, Cater was about to be evicted and had recently been a victim of domestic abuse, the Post reported.

“He hung this job over my head,” Cater told the Post. “I felt like a possession of his.”

Cuomo, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with Hoyt, denied the allegations through his attorney.

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