Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday submitted a notice that he would be filing a defamation lawsuit against a former aide, who previously filed a federal lawsuit against him for sexual harassment, claiming that she defamed him through the process.

"The nature of this action is to recover compensatory and punitive damages for the serious injuries and losses that Governor Cuomo has suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of the December 9, 2024 false statement by Bennett and her agents that Governor Cuomo ‘sexually harassed’ Bennett," a legal notice filed by Cuomo against Charlotte Bennett on Thursday reads. 

"Bennett’s agents tweeted this statement on December 9, 2024 with the headline: "Debra Katz and Charlotte Bennett issued statements on news that Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the SDNY against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her." Bennett reposted her agents’ tweet, which has garnered more than 90,000 views. The December 9 Defamatory Statement – which was intended to be and was widely disseminated and which was made in the wake of Bennett and her agents’ numerous prior public accusations against Governor Cuomo – was false and defamatory, and Bennett made it knowing full well that it was false and intending to cause harm to Governor Cuomo."

Bennett was one of several women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, which ultimately contributed to his resignation in 2021. 

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"I would never want to be unhelpful in any way, and I think given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing, and therefore, that’s what I’ll do," Cuomo said at the time while denying the allegations against him and arguing that state investigators from the office of Attorney General Letitia James were biased against him. 

"I have slipped and called people ‘honey, ’sweetheart' and ‘darling.’ I mean it to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive," Cuomo said at the time. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting."

"In my mind, I've never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn't realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn," he added. "There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn't fully appreciate. And I should have, no excuses."

Bennett dropped her lawsuit against Cuomo, which she filed in 2022, this December on the eve of her deposition in the case.

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"Since Ms. Bennett filed suit in federal court in September 2022, former Governor Cuomo has used every opportunity to harass our client with an astonishing number of invasive discovery requests and outrageous statements in pleadings to embarrass and humiliate her," Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said in a statement as the lawsuit was dropped on Dec. 9. "These include requests for medical records for unrelated specialists, including gynecologists, optometrists, and others, as well as medical records dating back more than ten years ago from when she was a minor."

"This fishing expedition was designed to dig up material to smear our client and distract from the fact that Mr. Cuomo did, as the New York Attorney General’s Office concluded after a lengthy investigation, sexually harass Ms. Bennett and at least 11 other women.  It is also important not to lose sight of the fact that before engaging in his multi-year, multi-million dollar legal war against Ms. Bennett – funded by N.Y. State taxpayers – Mr. Cuomo apologized for his behavior.  At a March 2021 press conference, he apologized for ‘making anyone feel uncomfortable’ and for ‘whatever pain I caused anyone,’ and said, ‘I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.’ His apologies were empty."

Richard Azzopardi, a rep for Cuomo, praised Bennett's decision to drop the case at the time, saying that her claims "falsely smeared" the former governor "for years."

"Ms. Bennett's decision to drop her baseless lawsuit should be viewed as a complete capitulation and a desperate attempt to avoid being confronted with the mountains of exculpatory discovery – including contemporaneous texts and videos that the AG’s office never obtained – that completely refute her claims against Governor Cuomo," he said, in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"After falsely smearing Governor Cuomo for years, Ms. Bennett suddenly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her deposition to avoid having to admit under oath that her allegations were false, and her claims had no merit," he said. "If New York State does give in to her public pressure campaign and settles, it will not be on the merits and should require the public release of all the evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone."

Katz pushed back against Cuomo's notice of claim in a statement to the Times Union, saying it has "no merit."

"There is a long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment," Katz said. "It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has apparently now chosen to go down that path."

Fox News Digital reached out to Katz for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Cuomo's notice alleges that Bennett "cynically used" conversations with Cuomo to "advance" her career and that her "false allegations materially contributed to a cascade of harm to Governor Cuomo."

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team this week, as the Jewish leader and his former defense chief Yoav Gallant face arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their ongoing response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

Cuomo, a three-term Democrat who resigned in 2021 amid harassment allegations he has personally denied, also railed against antisemitism at a recent dinner with leaders of New York’s Jewish community.

Cuomo condemned what he characterized as whitewashing Hamas kidnappings and murders in Israel, telling the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education he is proud to join Netanyahu’s defense.

He condemned the "denial" that too many people and "institutions" have about the scourge of antisemitism.

Cuomo said one Jewish leader, Rabbi Zvi Kogan, who had been reported as "missing" in the United Arab Emirates was not so, and instead was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. Cuomo suggested such incorrect characterizations should be considered antisemitic.

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"This is the moment that is going to be in the history books. This is a pivotal moment and this is the moment when true friends stand shoulder to shoulder and fight for the state of Israel," Cuomo said.

"I am proud to be on the legal defense team of the prime minister against the arrest warrant at the ICC – and I’m proud to stand against antisemitism."

The ICC charged Netanyahu and Gallant with crimes against humanity and war crimes, setting off a global firestorm as signatories to the court’s jurisdiction found themselves at odds with non-party allies like the U.S.

In recognizing the ICC, member nations have a sworn duty to uphold its edicts. Netanyahu’s warrant therefore presented the swath of Western nations – including the entire European Union – with a predicament that placed them counter to the U.S. and Israel.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Britain's GB News there would be "hell to pay for any international leader buying into this bulls---." That nation's leader, left-wing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, faces pressure from some members of his Labour Party who have cited an "obligation" to arrest Netanyahu, according to the outlet.

The Macron administration in France signaled Netanyahu will be treated as immune to the ICC because – while the French are signatories – Israel is not. 

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Separately, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was asked if France would arrest Netanyahu, and responded that Paris is "very committed to international justice and will apply international law," according to the Jerusalem Post.

The warrants caused bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill as Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., found rare agreement.

Graham told "Hannity" that he and Cotton seek to pass a law sanctioning any country aiding the ICC in arresting Netanyahu, while the other listed lawmakers all condemned the warrant.

Cuomo is also rumored to be considering a 2025 mayoral run in New York City – which is home to the largest Jewish community in the U.S. 

During his remarks, he cited the 1.6 million Jews in the Big Apple and said Hamas is demonstrating in the streets with masks while Jewish people are afraid to wear yarmulkes or Stars of David in public.

"That cannot happen in the state of New York," he said, adding a relevant law he signed as governor should be properly enforced.

In 2019, Cuomo approved antisemitic-hate-crimes legislation sponsored by state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Long Beach, and launched a "No Hate In Our State" campaign soon after.

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A Cuomo spokesman directed Fox News Digital to video of the governor's speech and said in a statement the Democrat is proud to be part of a legal "dream team" for Netanyahu.

"As governor, Cuomo made fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel a top priority, passing landmark hate crime legislation, prioritizing security upgrades to religious institutions, creating a new hate crimes unit in the State Police and leading a state delegation to Israel when it was under attack," he said.

The ideological potpourri of the U.S., Russia, Cuba, Turkey, Vatican City and Malaysia are some of the more major nations who do not recognize the ICC.

Major U.S. allies Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom recognize the Holland-based bench.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Netanyahu administration for comment.