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| Schneiderman Will Not Face Criminal Charges in Abuse Complaints | Schneiderman Will Not Face Criminal Charges in Abuse Complaints |
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| After a six-month investigation, prosecutors said Thursday that they would not pursue criminal charges against Eric T. Schneiderman, the former New York State attorney general who resigned in May after four women accused him of assaulting them. | After a six-month investigation, prosecutors said Thursday that they would not pursue criminal charges against Eric T. Schneiderman, the former New York State attorney general who resigned in May after four women accused him of assaulting them. |
| The decision not to file charges was announced in a statement issued by Madeline Singas, the Nassau County district attorney, who was asked by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to investigate the case shortly after Mr. Schneiderman left his post. | The decision not to file charges was announced in a statement issued by Madeline Singas, the Nassau County district attorney, who was asked by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to investigate the case shortly after Mr. Schneiderman left his post. |
| Ms. Singas said the women who accused Mr. Schneiderman of abuse were credible, but there were legal hurdles to bringing charges. She did not elaborate on those obstacles, except to say that some of the accusations were too old to pursue under state law. | Ms. Singas said the women who accused Mr. Schneiderman of abuse were credible, but there were legal hurdles to bringing charges. She did not elaborate on those obstacles, except to say that some of the accusations were too old to pursue under state law. |
| “I believe the women who shared their experiences with our investigation team,” Ms. Singas wrote, “however legal impediments, including statutes of limitations, preclude criminal prosecution.” | “I believe the women who shared their experiences with our investigation team,” Ms. Singas wrote, “however legal impediments, including statutes of limitations, preclude criminal prosecution.” |
| Ms. Singas also noted that she had proposed a new state law that would protect victims of sexually motivated violence by making it illegal to hit, shove, slap or kick someone without their consent for “the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification.” She added that her inquiry had “found no misconduct” by the staff of the attorney general’s office. | |
| Mr. Schneiderman’s sudden resignation, which took place only hours after the accusations against him were published in The New Yorker, was a stunning fall for a politician who had not only risen to prominence as an antagonist of the Trump administration, but who had also played a forceful personal role in the #MeToo movement. | Mr. Schneiderman’s sudden resignation, which took place only hours after the accusations against him were published in The New Yorker, was a stunning fall for a politician who had not only risen to prominence as an antagonist of the Trump administration, but who had also played a forceful personal role in the #MeToo movement. |
| The women, who had been romantically involved with him, accused him of choking, hitting and slapping them, sometimes during sex and often after drinking. All of them said the violence was not consensual. | The women, who had been romantically involved with him, accused him of choking, hitting and slapping them, sometimes during sex and often after drinking. All of them said the violence was not consensual. |
| In the immediate wake of the allegations, Mr. Schneiderman at first denied assaulting or abusing anyone, saying he had “engaged in role-playing” with the women. But in a statement issued Thursday morning, he apologized both to them and to the people of New York. He also said that he had spent time in “a rehab facility” and was “committed to a lifelong path of recovery and making amends to those I have harmed.” | In the immediate wake of the allegations, Mr. Schneiderman at first denied assaulting or abusing anyone, saying he had “engaged in role-playing” with the women. But in a statement issued Thursday morning, he apologized both to them and to the people of New York. He also said that he had spent time in “a rehab facility” and was “committed to a lifelong path of recovery and making amends to those I have harmed.” |
| “I recognize that District Attorney Singas’ decision not to prosecute does not mean I have done nothing wrong,” he wrote. “I accept full responsibility for my conduct in my relationships with my accusers, and for the impact it had on them.” | “I recognize that District Attorney Singas’ decision not to prosecute does not mean I have done nothing wrong,” he wrote. “I accept full responsibility for my conduct in my relationships with my accusers, and for the impact it had on them.” |
| One of the women, Michelle Manning Barish, described to The New Yorker being slapped by Mr. Schneiderman so violently and abruptly one day it left one of her ears ringing. Ms. Manning Barish said that when she tried to fight back, Mr. Schneiderman pushed her onto a bed, pinned her down with his body weight and then began to choke her. | One of the women, Michelle Manning Barish, described to The New Yorker being slapped by Mr. Schneiderman so violently and abruptly one day it left one of her ears ringing. Ms. Manning Barish said that when she tried to fight back, Mr. Schneiderman pushed her onto a bed, pinned her down with his body weight and then began to choke her. |
| Ms. Manning Barish said Thursday that she felt “completely vindicated” by Mr. Schneiderman’s apology, which she took as an admission that he had abused her and her fellow accusers. But she called on him to go further and to donate the millions of dollars he collected for his abandoned re-election campaign to groups that combat sexual violence against women. | |
| “This is a victory for all women, but we need more than words,” she said in a written statement. | “This is a victory for all women, but we need more than words,” she said in a written statement. |
| In October, another accuser, Tanya Selvaratnam, wrote an opinion article for The New York Times, detailing how Mr. Schneiderman often slapped her until she agreed to call him “master” and sometimes referred to her as his “property.” | In October, another accuser, Tanya Selvaratnam, wrote an opinion article for The New York Times, detailing how Mr. Schneiderman often slapped her until she agreed to call him “master” and sometimes referred to her as his “property.” |
| Ms. Selvaratnam also claimed that Mr. Schneiderman frequently belittled her looks and told her that he could tap her phone and have her followed. | |
| “This wasn’t just cruel or weird sex,” she wrote. “It was one element in a larger dynamic of power and control.” | |
| On Thursday, Ms. Selvaratnam thanked Ms. Singas “for the care she gave to the investigation.” She added that “this experience underscores the need for legislation addressing intimate violence.” | |
| After the allegations were made public, many of Mr. Schneiderman’s allies, including Mr. Cuomo and Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, moved swiftly in asking him to step down. Within two weeks, the New York Legislature voted to confirm Barbara D. Underwood, the state’s top appellate lawyer, as Mr. Schneiderman’s replacement, making her the first woman to hold the post of state attorney general. (On Tuesday, Letitia James, the former New York City public advocate, was elected to the job.) | After the allegations were made public, many of Mr. Schneiderman’s allies, including Mr. Cuomo and Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, moved swiftly in asking him to step down. Within two weeks, the New York Legislature voted to confirm Barbara D. Underwood, the state’s top appellate lawyer, as Mr. Schneiderman’s replacement, making her the first woman to hold the post of state attorney general. (On Tuesday, Letitia James, the former New York City public advocate, was elected to the job.) |
| Although Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, initially announced that he would investigate the claims against Mr. Schneiderman, Mr. Cuomo instead appointed Ms. Singas, a career prosecutor who had worked on sex crime cases, to oversee the inquiry. | Although Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, initially announced that he would investigate the claims against Mr. Schneiderman, Mr. Cuomo instead appointed Ms. Singas, a career prosecutor who had worked on sex crime cases, to oversee the inquiry. |
| Ms. Singas said Thursday that her investigative team interviewed each of Mr. Schneiderman’s accusers, as well as his security detail, former staff members and other witnesses whom she did not identify. | |
| The bill she sent to New York legislative leaders would change the harassment law to cover cases in which someone is subjected to unwanted violence during sex. The law currently says that slaps, shoves or kicks qualify as harassment only if the offender intends to “alarm” or “annoy” the victim, but not when the motive is sexual gratification. | |
| Debra S. Katz, Ms. Manning Barish’s lawyer, praised the proposal. | Debra S. Katz, Ms. Manning Barish’s lawyer, praised the proposal. |
| “The legislation the D.A. proposed today is crucial to protect victims of sexual abuse and violence from the deeply emotionally scarring injuries they experience in their intimate relationships,” Ms. Katz said. “Without it, abusers can get off scot-free — even when they later admit to the behavior, as Mr. Schneiderman did today.” | “The legislation the D.A. proposed today is crucial to protect victims of sexual abuse and violence from the deeply emotionally scarring injuries they experience in their intimate relationships,” Ms. Katz said. “Without it, abusers can get off scot-free — even when they later admit to the behavior, as Mr. Schneiderman did today.” |