Sara Rizzo is reporting for News10 [dot] com the New York State Supreme Court August 16, ruled in favor of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his lawsuit against the now-defunct Joint Commission on Public Ethics, or JCOPE. Cuomo sued after the ethics commission ordered him to repay the $5.1 million earned from the book deal in March. “JCOPE issued the approval for the outside activity, then unilaterally determined wrongdoing, then withdrew the approval, and finally imposed the disgorgement penalty — all without the opportunity for a due process hearing explicitly provided for under the procedures set forth in Executive Law,” according to court documents. In November 2021, JCOPE voted to rescind its approval for the former governor’s book, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The book was reportedly written at least in part by state employees. Cuomo accused the ethics commission of violating his constitutional rights. In its ruling, the court granted the former governor's motion for voluntary discontinuance, meaning he does not have to repay the book deal. His motions to dismiss JCOPE’s counterclaims were also granted. JCOPE held its final meeting in July and officials are now nominating members for the new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. Read the full story at News10 [dot] com.