Disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo can keep his pandemic memoir money — at least for now.
An Albany County court ruled Tuesday that a now-defunct state ethics watchdog overstepped its authority when it ordered Cuomo to surrender the $5.1 million he received from a controversial book deal inked while still in office.
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which was wound up at the end of June, had argued that Cuomo – who resigned amid multiple scandals last year – improperly used staff and other state resources while writing “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic” in 2020.
But the court ruled that JCOPE unfairly pursued its case against Cuomo, who has denied wrongdoing.
“JCOPE issued the approval for the outside activity, then unilaterally determined wrongdoing, then withdrew the approval, and finally imposed the disgorgement penalty – all without the opportunity for a due process hearing,” reads the ruling by state Supreme Court Judge Denise Hartman.
However, the newly-established Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, which officially replaced JCOPE last month, could still pursue the former governor, who has denied wrongdoing.
Commission spokesman Walter McClure, who previously represented JCOPE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi gloated to The Post in a text message that the JCOPE had “[p]layed judge, jury and executioner while Benny Hill’s theme music played in the background.”
“JCOPE’s utter lawlessness in its treatment of Governor Cuomo has been exposed and the rule of law prevailed,” Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin said in a statement responding to the ruling. “JCOPE’s conduct was shameful, unlawful, and a waste of taxpayer’s funds.”
Controversy over the book deal – and bombshell revelations detailing the purportedly volunteer efforts of top Cuomo aides like then-Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa – was part of the political storm that drove the three-term governor from power.
The book recounted Cuomo’s experiences as governor during the first months of the pandemic, when his once-celebrated COVID-19 briefings earned him praise from Democrats and Republicans alike.
The then-governor’s political standing began eroding towards the end of 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment and a reported cover-up of data showing COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.
Reports by the state Assembly and state Attorney General Letitia James would later conclude that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women alongside other alleged wrongdoing.
Pressure from fellow Democrats was enough to make Cuomo resign from office, but prosecutors in several counties declined to pursue charges in cases like the alleged groping of a staffer at the Executive Mansion in Albany.