{"id":57775,"date":"2019-01-07T00:30:04","date_gmt":"2019-01-07T00:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=57775"},"modified":"2019-01-07T00:30:04","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T00:30:04","slug":"metoo-advocates-lawyer-wanted-go-easy-sex-harasser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=57775","title":{"rendered":"#MeToo advocate\u2019s lawyer wanted to go easy on sex harasser"},"content":{"rendered":"

A top lawyer for new state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins \u2014 who has vowed to make combating sexual abuse a main priority \u2014 recently urged leniency for a sex-harassing former pol.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

While her boss has been loudly beating the drum for the #MeToo movement, Susan Grelick, Stewart-Cousins\u2019 personal counsel, asked a federal judge to go easy on admitted harasser and pal ex-Sen. Marc Panepinto (D-Buffalo).<\/p>\n

In June, Panepinto copped to making unwanted advances on a staffer and then offering hush money and a job to cover up his bad behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quickly came to know him (and his family) as a friend and as an extremely competent professional,\u2019\u2019 Grelick wrote US Magistrate Michael Roehmer in her Sept. 20 letter in support of Panepinto.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat impressed me the most about Marc was his attention to the problems of those people around him and the encouragement and support Marc consistently provided them.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarc is a good man,\u2019\u2019 Grelick said, identifying herself as \u201ccounsel\u2019\u2019 to the Senate and adding that she \u201cobserved\u201d Panepinto treating everyone in his office with \u201cthe utmost respect and dignity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe matter to which he had pled guilty has caused the victim, Marc, Marc\u2019s wife and daughters\u2019 unqualified pain. Marc is remorseful for his behavior which resulted in his guilty plea. I wanted to make sure you are aware of these attributes in the hope that you will consider them when making your decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grelick has been working directly for Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) for several years \u2014 including as the anti-sexual-harassment movement has heated up and her boss has taken a leading role in trying to help victims come forward.<\/p>\n

The lawyer told The Post she considered her pro-Panepinto letter to the judge \u201cpersonal,\u2019\u2019 adding that she did not inform Stewart-Cousins she sent it.<\/p>\n

Stewart-Cousins declined comment when asked about her legal counsel supporting an admitted sex-harasser in the midst of her own efforts to champion protection for women against such abuse.<\/p>\n

But the top state pol did say she herself had no sympathy for Panepinto.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am glad that justice was served in this case,\u2019\u2019 Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. \u201cClearly, there is no place in any work place for Mr. Panepinto\u2019s behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n