{"id":11329,"date":"2018-05-08T07:47:12","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=11329"},"modified":"2018-05-08T07:47:12","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T11:47:12","slug":"eric-schneiderman-new-york-attorney-general-quits-amid-assault-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2018\/05\/08\/eric-schneiderman-new-york-attorney-general-quits-amid-assault-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Schneiderman, New York attorney general, quits amid assault reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has resigned following allegations of assault by four women.<\/p>\n

The New Yorker magazine published a report<\/a>\u00a0quoting the women, two of them ex-girlfriends, who accused Mr Schneiderman, 63, of hitting them.<\/p>\n

Mr Schneiderman has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and a fierce opponent of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Mr Schneiderman said he “strongly contests” the allegations.<\/p>\n

“In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity,” the statement says. “I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non-consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.”<\/p>\n

Mr Schneiderman said: “While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time.”<\/p>\n

Mr Schneiderman became attorney general in 2010 and had intended to run for re-election to the post this year.<\/p>\n

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had called for Mr Schneiderman’s resignation, following the reports.<\/p>\n

“No-one is above the law, including New York’s top legal officer,” he said. “I do not believe it is possible for Eric Schneiderman to continue to serve as attorney general.”<\/p>\n

Mr Cuomo said he would ask a prosecutor to investigate the allegations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“After the most difficult month of my life – I spoke up,” Ms Manning Barish wrote on Twitter after the allegations were published.<\/p>\n

“For my daughter and for all women. I could not remain silent and encourage other women to be brave for me.”<\/p>\n

Jennifer Cunningham, Mr Schneiderman’s ex-wife, released a statement on Monday saying: “I’ve known Eric for nearly 35 years as a husband, father, and friend… I find it impossible to believe these allegations are true.”<\/p>\n

Last month, the New Yorker won a joint Pulitzer Prize with the New York Times for its reporting on sexual harassment in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

The reports brought down film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has denied dozens of sexual misconduct allegations.<\/p>\n

What the women alleged in the New Yorker<\/h2>\n

Michelle Manning Barish<\/strong>: After four weeks of being involved with Mr Schneiderman, she says that, as they were preparing for bed and still fully clothed, he “all of a sudden, just slapped me, open-handed and with great force, across the face” and then pushed her down and began to choke her. She says: “This was under no circumstances a sex game gone wrong… I did not consent to physical assault.” She says he later said: “You know, hitting an officer of the law is a felony.”<\/p>\n

Tanya Selvaratnam:\u00a0<\/strong>Says Mr Schneiderman warned her he could have her followed and phone-tapped and said he would kill her if she broke up with him, all of which he denies. The Sri Lanka-born author and actor says Mr Schneiderman called her “brown slave”, adding: “Sometimes, he’d tell me to call him Master, and he’d slap me until I did.”<\/p>\n

Third romantic partner:<\/strong>\u00a0Says he repeatedly subjected her to non-consensual physical violence.<\/p>\n

Fourth woman<\/strong>: A prominent lawyer, says Mr Schneiderman slapped her with force after she rebuffed his advances.<\/p>\n

What cases has Mr Schneiderman pursued?<\/h2>\n