Lisa Marie Cater, the woman who accused former Regional President of Empire State Development's Buffalo office, Sam Hoyt of sexual harassment has filed a federal lawsuit against him, as well as the State of New York and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Hoyt stepped down from his position late last month amid the investigation into the claims against him.
The complaint alleges Hoyt repeatedly sexually harassed Cater starting in 2015. The suit also alleges the Governors office ignored several complaints made by Cater, including multiple phone calls as well social media posts in which Cater alleged Hoyt was harassing her.
Hoyt was appointed ot his Empire State Development position by Cuomo in 2011
Eyewitness News reached out to the governor's office for a statement on the matte, and they claim three different investigations into the charges
Alphonso David, the Counsel to the Governor had this to say.
"When (the accuser) reported a complaint regarding Mr. Hoyt, per protocol it was immediately referred to the State Employee Relations Office (GOER) for an investigation. At the same time, Mr. Hoyt was instructed to have no further interaction with the complainant and to cooperate fully with the investigation. Mr. Hoyt did not supervise or work in the same agency as (the accuser).
Based on interviews and evidence reviewed, GOER identified information that warranted further review by the Inspector General’s Office and referred the matter accordingly. The IG conducted its own investigation, during which the complainant did not comply with repeated attempts to interview her or provide any documentation, and the matter was referred to JCOPE for investigation. With the investigation still pending, Mr. Hoyt separated from state service. The facts alleged in this complaint regarding Mr. Hoyt were not provided to state investigators and in many cases contradict the public allegations made in the last several weeks.
The state launched 3 separate investigations into this matter, and any assertion to the contrary is patently and demonstrably false, and as such, we expect this matter to be summarily dismissed.”
David later goes on to say, "All state employees deserve to be treated with respect. We address every allegation of sexual harassment seriously and will continue to take all steps to detect and root out this unacceptable behavior."
