Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Bloom’s advice to Weinstein has her at odds with mother
LOS ANGELES — “Let’s talk about how I can do better,” Lisa Bloom said.
It was a Friday morning — the first day the attorney was back in her Woodland Hills law firm following her resignation as Harvey Weinstein’s adviser — and she’d called her staff into a meeting.
She wanted to apologize. She told her colleagues she’d made a “colossal mistake” in deciding to represent the Hollywood producer against numerous claims of sexual harassment. That she was sorry for associating the firm with a case that ended up being such a nightmare. That she should have known better.
Bloom is not often on the defense. Like her mother, famed feminist attorney Gloria Allred, she has become a ubiquitous figure in bringing high-profile cases against powerful men.
She’s represented women who alleged that Bill O’Reilly and Bill Cosby abused them.
In June, after Kathy Griffin enraged many with a photo shoot in which she held a fake bloody Trump head, Bloom organized another media event that ended up engendering more disdain for the comedian than sympathy.
So when it became known that Bloom was advising Weinstein — even as decades’ worth of sexual harassment accusations came to the fore — the attorney found herself on the other side of her own issue. In the court of public opinion, not only was she a hypocrite but also a sellout, profiting from her cozy business relationship with a man who had recently decided to turn her book about Trayvon Martin into a television miniseries.
Even Allred, Bloom’s own mother, released a statement saying she not only would have declined to work with Weinstein but would not hesitate to represent one of his accusers, “even if it meant that my daughter was the opposing counsel.”
In recent days, Allred has walked back her original remarks. “Nothing that has happened in the recent past has altered my views of Lisa’s commitment to protecting and advancing women’s rights,” she posted on Facebook. “I stand behind Lisa and support her.”
Asked if the words provided comfort, Bloom responded: “I think it’s healthier for family members to call one another rather than do Facebook posts.”