Will women 'always be believed' going forward, post-Cuomo?

News of allegations that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, detailed in a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James's office Tuesday, begs the question: why were these women not believed at first, and will they be believed now.

The report, stating the governor directed unwanted groping, kissing, hugging and inappropriate comments toward employees, follows multiple women coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment over the past nine months. Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan first came forward in December 2020. Former aide Charlotte Bennett next came forward in a story published in late February in the New York Times.

"No matter what, women should always be believed," Katherine Barnes, a friend and former classmate of Bennett's at Hamilton College, wrote in a text message Tuesday, following news of the report.

More:'Women should always be believed': Hamilton College students on legacy of Cuomo accuser

Joni Hersch, an economist and professor of law and economics at Vanderbilt University, has researched sexual harassment for around 15 years.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said, of James' report.

How widespread the harassment was, the protection of Cuomo from within — particularly by female aides — and the blatant violation of the law by a governor who had lowered the legal standard for sexual harassment, all stand out to Hersch.

She described Cuomo as a "strategic sexual harasser," noting the report details how his harassment was spread out over multiple people over a period of time.

Responding to the report Tuesday, Cuomo directly addressed Bennett, apologizing for bringing his "personal experience into the workplace," and asking her personal questions he said was an attempt to help her as a sexual abuse survivor.

The report, however, details how the governor questioned her about her sex life, including whether she would be with an older man.

Bennett herself told the Associated Press the apology was "meaningless," and true accountability would be the governor stepping down.

Since the #MeToo movement, Hersch has seen an increased response to sexual harassment complaints in the private sector, hopefully due to a changing attitude to believe women.

"I see definitely more turnover and dismissive of executives," she said, though she noted these executives often find jobs in other firms afterwards.

But how that outcome will play out in the public sector will be interesting to see, she said.

H. Rose Schneider is the public safety reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.