A federal choose on Monday dismissed a lawsuit in opposition to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his dealing with of nursing dwelling deaths throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York households with family who died from COVID-19 in nursing properties filed the lawsuit in early 2022, accusing Cuomo’s administration of undercounting fatalities.
“During the last four years, the debate over COVID in nursing homes has been weaponized, distorted and contorted beyond recognition by those using this situation for their own politics,” Cuomo spokesman Wealthy Azzopardi stated in a press release to Fox Information. “However, anytime this gets taken out of the political arena, the truth wins. The judge today ruled to dismiss this case just as the DOJ – which launched three separate probes – and the Manhattan district attorney did previously. Once again, justice has prevailed.”
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FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify earlier than the Choose Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic within the Rayburn Home Workplace Constructing on the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura)
Cuomo was extensively lauded within the early months of the pandemic, however his repute took successful amid revelations that his administration launched an incomplete accounting of the deaths at nursing properties and assisted residing services.
He resigned from workplace in August 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.
Cuomo testified earlier than the subcommittee in June, nevertheless it was behind closed doorways. High former Cuomo administration officers additionally have been interviewed as a part of the investigation.
A separate state report commissioned by Cuomo’s successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and launched this summer time, discovered that whereas the insurance policies on how nursing properties ought to deal with COVID-19 have been “rushed and uncoordinated,” they have been based mostly on one of the best understanding of the science on the time.
FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is sworn in to testify earlier than the Choose Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic within the Rayburn Home Workplace Constructing on the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura)
Cuomo confronted a grilling from Republican lawmakers earlier this month throughout a congressional subcommittee listening to.
Republicans who questioned the Democrat zeroed in on a controversial directive his administration issued in March of 2020 that originally barred nursing properties from refusing to just accept sufferers simply because they’d had COVID-19. Greater than 9,000 recovering coronavirus sufferers have been launched from hospitals into nursing properties beneath the directive, which was rescinded amid hypothesis that it had accelerated outbreaks.
Cuomo defended his actions and blamed the previous Trump administration for failing to offer sufficient testing and private protecting tools within the early days of the pandemic.
“These are all diversions to blame New York and other states for the culpability of the federal response, which was malpractice,” Cuomo stated.
New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo (C), New York Metropolis Mayor Invoice DeBlasio (R) and New York state Division of Well being Commissioner Howard Zucker maintain a information convention on the primary confirmed case of COVID-19 in New York on March 2, 2020, in New York Metropolis. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Pictures)
A report issued by the Home committee did not delve into the query of whether or not important numbers of individuals discharged from hospitals have been nonetheless contagious with the virus once they have been readmitted to nursing properties, or whether or not they then handed the virus to different sufferers.
Cuomo advised the panel that its report offered no proof to help the allegation that the directive helped unfold the virus.
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There have been about 15,000 COVID-19 deaths amongst long-term care residents in New York, excess of the preliminary quantity disclosed. Cuomo stated some figures have been initially withheld out of issues about accuracy.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
