In one sexual harassment lawsuit, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s legal defense has gone so far as to include subpoenas for records from the accuser’s gynecologist, college and family therapist.

In another, Mr. Cuomo’s lawyers sought almost four years of phone records from a woman with few if any ties to the accuser, a state trooper. And when the accuser’s lawyers subpoenaed Mr. Cuomo’s phone, he relayed that it was at the bottom of Nantucket Sound after it “accidentally fell from his shirt pocket, hit the boat and fell into the ocean.”

It should come as little surprise that Mr. Cuomo, a pugnacious Democrat whose bullying tactics won battles but few friends in New York, would embrace aggressive legal tactics as he seeks to defend himself against the sexual harassment suits and protect his political image as he contemplates a comeback.

The surprise lies in who is footing Mr. Cuomo’s legal bills in these matters: New York taxpayers.

The state has spent about $25.4 million as of last month representing the legal interests of Mr. Cuomo and several of his top aides as they fend off civil complaints, criminal investigations and inquiries from the State Legislature.

Of the $25.4 million, more than half has gone to defend Mr. Cuomo and several top aides in four lawsuits filed by three women in state and federal court. The rest went to pay for legal representation in earlier state and federal investigations into workplace misconduct and the manipulation of data related to pandemic deaths in nursing homes. These figures come from Thomas P. DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, whose office tracks and approves the fees.

Because Mr. Cuomo’s alleged actions in these lawsuits took place while he was governor, state law requires taxpayers to foot legal bills related to the accusations.