(Bloomberg) -- Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was sued over alleged sexual harassment by a state trooper who was part of his protective detail.

The unnamed trooper filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Cuomo was forced to resign last year after state Attorney General Letitia James issued a lengthy report alleging several instances of harassment of state workers by Cuomo. He has denied the allegations.

In the suit, the trooper said Cuomo requested she be assigned to his detail, then “used his physical proximity to Trooper 1 to touch her inappropriately.” She said he also commented on her appearance and steered their conversations towards sexual topics. 

The lawsuit also named Cuomo’s former chief of staff, Melissa DeRosa, as a defendant, accusing her of helping her boss cover up his behavior.

A spokesman for Cuomo didn’t have an immediate comment on the suit. Paul Schectman, a lawyer for DeRosa said: “According to the trooper’s own testimony Melissa’s only interaction with her was to say ‘hello and goodbye.’ It is not a viable case anywhere in America and is beyond frivolous.”

(Updates with detail from complaint and comment from lawyer.)

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.