A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his handling of nursing home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic.
New York families whose relatives died from COVID-19 in nursing homes filed a lawsuit in early 2022, accusing the Cuomo administration of undercounting the number of deaths.
“For the past four years, the debate over coronavirus in nursing homes has been weaponized and distorted beyond recognition by those who use this situation for their own political purposes,” Cuomo press secretary Rich Azzopardi told Fox News. and have been distorted,” he said in a statement to Fox News. “But whenever this is taken out of the political arena, the truth prevails. The judge today echoed previous rulings by the Justice Department and the Manhattan district attorney, who have launched three separate investigations. We have ruled to dismiss this case. Justice has prevailed once again.” ”
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FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 2024. arrived at. (Kent Nishimura)
Mr. Cuomo was widely praised in the early days of the pandemic, but his reputation suffered amid revelations that his administration had released incomplete statistics on deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
He resigned in August 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.
Mr. Cuomo testified before the subcommittee in June, but it was done behind closed doors. Former Cuomo administration officials were also interviewed as part of the investigation.
Another state report commissioned by Cuomo's successor, Gov. Cathy Hochul, and released this summer found that policies on how nursing homes should respond to COVID-19 were “rushed and uncoordinated.” ”Although it turned out to be based on the utmost understanding of science. at that time.
FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 2024 be sworn in. (Kent Nishimura)
Earlier this month, Cuomo faced harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers during a congressional subcommittee hearing.
Questioning Democrats, Republicans initially focused on a controversial directive issued by the Democratic administration in March 2020 that prohibited nursing homes from refusing to admit patients due to COVID-19. I guessed it. The directive, which released more than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients from hospitals to nursing homes, was rescinded amid speculation that the directive accelerated the spread of infection.
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Mr. Cuomo defended his actions and criticized the former Trump administration for failing to provide enough testing and personal protective equipment early in the pandemic.
“All of this was an excuse to blame New York and other states for the federal response, which was medical malpractice,” Cuomo said.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo (center), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (Republican), and New York State Department of Health Secretary Howard Zucker on March 2, the first case of coronavirus infection in New York. A press conference was held regarding the confirmation. 2020, New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
A report released by a House of Commons committee raises the question of whether a significant number of people discharged from hospitals were still infected with the virus when readmitted to nursing homes, or whether they subsequently passed it on to other patients. has not been explored in depth.
Cuomo told the committee that the report provides no evidence to support the claim that the directive helped spread the virus.
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Approximately 15,000 New York long-term care residents have died from COVID-19, far more than originally announced. Cuomo said some numbers were initially withheld due to concerns about accuracy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
