Andrew Cuomo has spent millions on his legal defense against his #MeToo accusers. New York taxpayers are footing the bill

The state has expensed more than $20.5 million for the legal defense of Andrew Cuomo and several officials who worked in the executive chamber.

In the summer of 2023, Ana Liss sat in a law firm conference room in Rochester, New York, to be deposed — again. This time the ordeal lasted more than eight hours, she recalls, with a brief lunch break in the middle of the day. She was questioned repeatedly by Andrew Cuomo’s lawyer about her time working for New York state and her allegations of misconduct against the former governor. Liss made the unusual — and inadvisable — decision that day to not have her lawyer present for the deposition. “I tried to MacGyver my way through it,” she told CNN in a recent interview. “I tried to muddle through. That’s not the best tactic, but it’s a way to save money.” Liss was one of the multiple aides who accused then-Gov. Cuomo of misconduct in 2021. She described the Capitol’s Executive Chamber as “a toxic, verbally abusive, retaliatory workplace, especially for young women like myself” — allegations that Cuomo and his top aides deny. Even though Liss never sued Cuomo — she said at the time she decided to speak out to show support to other accusers — she has nevertheless been saddled with legal bills to the tune of around $30,000 so far, she said. Those bills have been related to a New York attorney general’s investigation into the allegations she and others leveled against Cuomo, in which Liss was first deposed, as well as a lawsuit that a state trooper launched against Cuomo that led to Liss’ second deposition in 2023. A mother to two young kids now working on economic development in upstate New York, Liss is determined to spare her family thousands of additional dollars in legal fees. Cuomo, however, does not share that financial concern: His legal fees for defending against lawsuits brought by several former employees continue to be covered largely by New York taxpayers four years after he announced his resignation as governor.