A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over his handling of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York families with relatives who died from COVID-19 in nursing homes filed the lawsuit in early 2022, accusing Cuomo's administration of undercounting deaths.
“Over the past four years, the debate over COVID in nursing homes has been weaponized, distorted and twisted beyond recognition by those who use this situation for their own politics,” said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. , in a statement to Fox News. “However, every time this is taken out of the political arena, the truth wins. The judge today decided to dismiss this case just as the Department of Justice (which launched three separate investigations) and the Manhattan district attorney did previously. A Once again, justice has prevailed.”
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FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the US Capitol on September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC (Kent Nishimura)
Cuomo was widely praised in the early months of the pandemic, but his reputation took a hit amid revelations that his administration released an undercount of deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
He resigned from his position in August 2021 amid allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies.
Cuomo testified before the subcommittee in June, but it was behind closed doors. Former senior Cuomo administration officials were also interviewed as part of the investigation.
A separate state report commissioned by Cuomo's successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and released this summer, found that while policies on how nursing homes should handle COVID-19 were “rushed and uncoordinated,” they were based on the better understanding of science. At the moment.
FILE: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is sworn in to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the US Capitol on September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC (Kent Nishimura)
Cuomo faced questioning from Republican lawmakers earlier this month during a congressional subcommittee hearing.
Republicans challenging the Democrat focused on a controversial directive his administration issued in March 2020 that initially prohibited nursing homes from refusing to accept patients just because they had had COVID-19. More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients were discharged from hospitals to nursing homes under the directive, which was rescinded amid speculation that it had accelerated outbreaks.
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Cuomo defended his actions and blamed the previous Trump administration for failing to provide enough testing and personal protective equipment in the early days of the pandemic.
“These are all deflections to place blame on New York and other states for the federal response, which was malpractice,” Cuomo said.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo (center), New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio (right) and New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker hold a press conference about the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in New York on March 2. 2020, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
A report issued by the House committee did not delve into the question of whether a significant number of people discharged from hospitals were still contagious with the virus when they were readmitted to nursing homes, or whether they later transmitted the virus to other patients. .
Cuomo told the panel that his report provided no evidence to support the allegation that the directive helped spread the virus.
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There were about 15,000 COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents in New York, far more than the initial figure revealed. Cuomo said some figures were initially withheld over concerns about accuracy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
