New York’s leading lawyer (and MeToo champion) quits after four women accuse him of abuse
HE was a vocal supporter of the MeToo movement, even filing a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein over his sexual misconduct.
But New York’s attorney general Eric Schneiderman has now resigned, hours after he was accused of assaulting four women.
His accusers described being slapped and choked, verbally abused and threatened by Mr Schneiderman. They said the incidents often took place during what were supposed to be romantic encounters, in accounts published in the New Yorker magazine.
A statement from the Manhattan district attorney said prosecutors would look into the claims.
Mr Schneiderman, 63, had been a leading supporter of the #MeToo movement – an online phenomenon that saw women raise awareness of sexual harassment by sharing their own stories. He initially issued a statement suggesting that his conduct was either welcomed by the women, or not as they described.
‘In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in roleplaying and other consensual sexual activity,’ he said.
‘I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in non- consensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.’
Following that statement – and calls for his resignation – Mr Schneiderman stood down.
‘In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, he are said. unrelated have ‘While been to made these my professional against allegations me,’ conduct office, they or will the effectively operations prevent of the me from leading the office’s work at this critical time.’
He also highlighted a statement from his ex-wife Jennifer Cunningham, who said: ‘I’ve known Eric for nearly 35 years as a husband, father and friend. These allegations are completely inconsistent with the man I know. I find it impossible to believe these allegations are true.’
Two women who spoke to The New Yorker on the record, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam, said the abuse escalated over time. Miss Manning Barish wrote on Twitter after the story was published: ‘After the most difficult month of my life – I spoke up. For my daughter and for all women. I could not remain silent and encourage other women to be brave for me. I could not.’ She said she was involved with Mr Schneiderman from mid-2013 until the end of 2014, and claimed he became violent a few weeks after they began dating. Miss Selvaratnam, who was born in Sri-Lanka, said that during their relationship Mr Schneiderman started calling her his ‘brown slave’ and made her say that she was ‘his property’. ‘After I found out that other women had been abused in a similar manner many years before me, I wondered “who’s next?” and knew something needed to be done,’ she said. Mr Schneiderman filed a lawsuit in February against producer Harvey Weinstein and the Weinstein Co following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct. He said the company broke New York law by failing to protect employees from ‘pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination’. The women accusing Mr Schneiderman said seeing him speak out on these issues was part of what prompted them to come forward.