Jump to content

Lisa Bloom: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Kathy Griffin controversy: changed subsection name
Line 54: Line 54:
Bloom also represented former [[Amazon Studios]] president<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nathanson|first1=Jason|last2=Rothman|first2=Michael|title=Amazon Studios President Roy Price resigns amid harassment allegation|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/amazon-studios-president-roy-price-resigns-amid-harassment/story?id=50544849|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=ABC News|date=17 October 2017}}</ref> [[Roy Price]] amid sexual harassment allegations, but said her representation of Price concluded before Isa Hackett, Price's accuser, "went public."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Patten|first1=Dominic|title=Amazon Studios’ Roy Price Suspended Amid Sexual Harassment Claims; COO Albert Cheng Named Interim Boss|url=http://deadline.com/2017/10/roy-price-amazon-sexual-harassment-claim-man-in-the-high-castle-producer-1202187548/|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=Deadline|date=12 October 2017}}</ref> ''The Daily Beast'' reported that Bloom, while representing Price, had attempted to discredit Kim Masters, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'''s Editor-at-Large, to media outlets considering publishing Masters' report on the allegations against Price. Bloom had allegedly accused Masters of a conflict of interest for badgering Price to advertise on her [[KCRW]] show, a charge Masters denied.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Grove|first1=Lloyd|title=Clients Turn on ‘Champion for Women’ Lisa Bloom After Her Scorched-Earth Crusade for Harvey Weinstein|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/lisa-bloom-has-files-on-rose-mcgowans-history-inside-her-scorched-earth-crusade-for-harvey-weinstein|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=The Daily Beast|date=26 October 2017}}</ref>
Bloom also represented former [[Amazon Studios]] president<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nathanson|first1=Jason|last2=Rothman|first2=Michael|title=Amazon Studios President Roy Price resigns amid harassment allegation|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/amazon-studios-president-roy-price-resigns-amid-harassment/story?id=50544849|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=ABC News|date=17 October 2017}}</ref> [[Roy Price]] amid sexual harassment allegations, but said her representation of Price concluded before Isa Hackett, Price's accuser, "went public."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Patten|first1=Dominic|title=Amazon Studios’ Roy Price Suspended Amid Sexual Harassment Claims; COO Albert Cheng Named Interim Boss|url=http://deadline.com/2017/10/roy-price-amazon-sexual-harassment-claim-man-in-the-high-castle-producer-1202187548/|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=Deadline|date=12 October 2017}}</ref> ''The Daily Beast'' reported that Bloom, while representing Price, had attempted to discredit Kim Masters, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'''s Editor-at-Large, to media outlets considering publishing Masters' report on the allegations against Price. Bloom had allegedly accused Masters of a conflict of interest for badgering Price to advertise on her [[KCRW]] show, a charge Masters denied.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Grove|first1=Lloyd|title=Clients Turn on ‘Champion for Women’ Lisa Bloom After Her Scorched-Earth Crusade for Harvey Weinstein|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/lisa-bloom-has-files-on-rose-mcgowans-history-inside-her-scorched-earth-crusade-for-harvey-weinstein|accessdate=28 October 2017|publisher=The Daily Beast|date=26 October 2017}}</ref>


====Kathy Griffin controversy====
====Kathy Griffin controversy and fallout====
{{main|Kathy Griffin#Depiction of President Trump}}
{{main|Kathy Griffin#Depiction of President Trump}}


Revision as of 07:59, 27 November 2017

For the American cultural critic, see Lisa E. Bloom.
Lisa Bloom
Bloom in 2009
Born
Lisa Bray

(1961-09-20) September 20, 1961 (age 63)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A., University of California, Los Angeles
J.D., Yale Law School
Occupations
EmployerThe Bloom Firm
SpouseBraden Pollock
Children2
Parent(s)Peyton Huddleston Bray, Jr
Gloria Allred
Websitewww.LisaBloom.com

Lisa Bloom (née Bray; born September 20, 1961) is an American civil rights attorney known for representing women whose sexual harassment claims precipitated the firing of Bill O'Reilly from Fox News and for advising Harvey Weinstein amid sexual abuse allegations.[1][2]

Bloom founded and owns a twelve-attorney civil rights law firm, the Bloom Firm, and has represented clients including Kathy Griffin and Mischa Barton. Bloom was also the anchor of Lisa Bloom: Open Court (formerly Bloom and Politan: Open Court), a two-hour live legal news program on truTV's In Session, from 2006 to 2009.[3]

Bloom is the only child of civil rights attorney Gloria Allred and Peyton Huddleston Bray, Jr.[4]

Early life and education

Bloom was born Lisa Bray, the daughter of Gloria Bloom (later Allred)[5] and Peyton Huddleston Bray, Jr.[6] Her parents' marriage was short-lived—they had married and divorced while in college. Peyton, who suffered from bipolar disorder, later committed suicide, and Bloom subsequently took her mother's maiden name. When Bloom was 7, her mother remarried to William C. Allred.[6][7] Bloom received a bachelor's degree from UCLA, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was National College Debate Champion. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Yale Law School in 1986.[8][9]

Career

Early career

After graduating from law school, Bloom began her career in New York and by 1991 worked at her mother’s law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg,[10] assisting in unsuccessfully suing the Boy Scouts of America for sex discrimination on behalf of Katrina Yeaw, a girl who wanted to join the organization.[11] While at her mother’s firm, Bloom also filed a child sexual abuse suit against the Roman Catholic Church and sued the LAPD.[12]

Later career

In 2001 Bloom left her mother’s firm, having parlayed her legal and familial notoriety into a lucrative career in cable news punditry,[13] eventually serving as a legal analyst on CBS News, CNN, HLN, and MSNBC, and appearing on The Early Show, The Insider, Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew, The Situation Room, Reliable Sources, The Joy Behar Show, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, and The Stephanie Miller Show.[14][15] Bloom returned to practicing law in 2010[16] when she founded the Bloom Firm, a small, general-practice law firm that handles family, civil and criminal matters.[17] She is licensed to practice law in both New York and California.[18]

At the Bloom Firm, Bloom has represented several notable clients, including model and actress Janice Dickinson in her defamation case against comedian Bill Cosby, as well as model and actress Mischa Barton in her revenge porn case.[19][20] Model Blac Chyna later hired Bloom to obtain a temporary restraining order against socialite Rob Kardashian, with whom Chyna shares a daughter, Dream.[21]

Bill O'Reilly sexual harassment allegations

Main article: Bill O'Reilly (political commentator) § Sexual harassment lawsuits and ouster from Fox News

In 2017 Bloom represented three women accusing then-Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment.[22] Jehmu Greene, a television commentator who had appeared on Fox News, also approached Bloom with sexual harassment allegations against O'Reilly, although she ultimately declined Bloom's services.[23] One of Bloom's clients, Wendy Walsh, filed the complaint that caused Fox News' parent company, 21st Century Fox, to initiate an investigation that led to O'Reilly's dismissal and the end of his eponymous program.[24]

Harvey Weinstein and Roy Price sexual misconduct allegations

Main articles: Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations and Roy Price § Sexual harassment allegations

Bloom was a focus of significant media attention following allegations of serial sexual harassment by film mogul Harvey Weinstein. Bloom, in an October 2017 report in The New York Times, acknowledged advising Weinstein on power dynamics and harassment, calling him "an old dinosaur learning new ways" and asserting that "he denies many of the accusations as patently false."[25] Bloom's advising role, which she had held since the Fall of 2016,[23] was pilloried in the media for its dissonance with Bloom's prior representation of sexual assault victims, with some calling her book adaptation deal with The Weinstein Company, signed during Weinstein's tenure as co-chairman, a conflict of interest.[26][27]

On October 7, 2017, two days after the initial reports and amid mounting criticism, Bloom stepped down from the team advising Weinstein after reported friction with members of The Weinstein Company's board. Bloom, according to emails purportedly obtained by The New York Times, had proposed promulgating "photos of several of the accusers in very friendly poses with Harvey after his alleged misconduct."[28] Bloom denied plotting to undermine the accusers;[29] however, later reporting from The Daily Beast indicated that Bloom had offered journalist Ronan Farrow opposition research on one of Weinstein's accusers, Rose McGowan, during his reporting on the Weinstein allegations.[23]

Shortly following her resignation from Weinstein's team, Bloom fell victim to an email prankster masquerading as Weinstein. Bloom emailed the prankster that "[t]he new round of far more serious allegations were [sic] not made known to me," specifically calling out Weinstein's alleged sexual assault.[30] Variety later reported that Bloom "was only aware of accusations of verbal remarks, behaviors, and temper tantrums" when she began advising Weinstein, and was unaware of more serious allegations of rape and sexual assault.[31] Bloom later apologized[32] for her role advising Weinstein and characterized it as "a colossal mistake."[33]

Bloom also represented former Amazon Studios president[34] Roy Price amid sexual harassment allegations, but said her representation of Price concluded before Isa Hackett, Price's accuser, "went public."[35] The Daily Beast reported that Bloom, while representing Price, had attempted to discredit Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter's Editor-at-Large, to media outlets considering publishing Masters' report on the allegations against Price. Bloom had allegedly accused Masters of a conflict of interest for badgering Price to advertise on her KCRW show, a charge Masters denied.[36]

Kathy Griffin controversy and fallout

Main article: Kathy Griffin § Depiction of President Trump

Following a controversial 2017 photo shoot in which comedienne Kathy Griffin clenched a severed and bloodied head resembling President Donald Trump, Bloom held a joint press conference with Griffin, her client, to address the controversy.[37] Their appearance was widely panned in the media for its self-victimization and lack of focus.[38][39]

Amid the fallout over Bloom's role advising Harvey Weinstein, Griffin posted a Facebook video denouncing Bloom and her husband, Braden Pollock, for "exacerbat[ing] [her] personal situation." Griffin later tweeted asking Bloom to stop calling her and denounced Bloom for "fame-whoring," a criticism of Bloom's proposal for a joint media tour following their joint press conference. Bloom also, according to Griffin, charged exorbitant legal fees, which Griffin estimated amounted to $40,000 for two days' representation, including by defense attorney Dmitry Gorin, whom Bloom had allegedly hired without Griffin's consent. In response to Griffin's comments, Bloom claimed she "had no idea there was a problem" and released a statement that criticized Griffin for speaking extemporaneously at the press conference but nevertheless wished her well.[39][40]

In response to Griffin, another former Bloom client, Tamara Holder, and Jehmu Greene, who had considered hiring Bloom, came forward with their own criticisms. Bloom, whom Holder had retained after accusing Fox News Latino Vice President Francisco Cortes of sexual assault, proposed an initial retainer agreement that awarded Bloom 40 percent of any settlement, as well as a $10,000 retainer fee and reimbursement for any relevant hotel and travel expenses. Although Holder ultimately negotiated a more favorable contract, she criticized Bloom for thousands of dollars in extraneous expenses and for allegedly pushing Holder to accept a gag order in her settlement with Fox News. For her part, Greene called Bloom "deceptive" for presenting her with a contract for media representation after a meeting focused primarily on legal services. Bloom responded to the allegations from Holder and Greene by contending that "the vast majority of [her] clients are delighted with [her] work."[23]

Personal life

Bloom married her current husband, Braden Pollock, on December 5, 2014.[41] Pollock is the founder of Legal Brand Marketing[42] and now works as the Bloom Firm's firm manager.[43] Bloom has two adult children, Sarah and Sam,[44] and lives with her husband and foster son in Los Angeles. A vegetarian since 16, Bloom has been vegan since 2009.[45] She identifies as Jewish.[46]

Books

Bloom has written three books, including Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, from 2011, and Swagger: 10 Urgent Rules for Raising Boys in an Era of Failing Schools, Mass Joblessness, and Thug Culture, from 2012.[47][48][49] The Weinstein Company and Jay-Z are currently adapting[needs update?] Bloom's 2014 book, Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It, into a six-part documentary series.[50]

References

  1. ^ "Meet Lisa Bloom, the Power Lawyer Who Helped Topple Bill O'Reilly". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  2. ^ Twohey, Megan; Barr, Johanna (October 7, 2017). "Lisa Bloom, Lawyer Advising Harvey Weinstein, Resigns Amid Criticism From Board Members". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Krinsky, Alissa (9 January 2008). "Lisa Bloom Leaving truTV". TV Newser. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  4. ^ Mother-daughter relationship noted in Allred profile on Nightline (August 26, 2010).
  5. ^ HLN staff (May 29, 2013). "Gloria Allred: If anyone deserves it, it's Arias". HLN. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Bennetts, Leslie (June 1, 2010). "Gloria Allred's Fighting Spirit: The power attorney who takes on unfaithful men – from Tiger Woods to Jesse James – is always ready for battle". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  7. ^ Harris, Scott (February 26, 1992). "Sparks Fly in Allred vs. Allred : Courts: Feminist attorney's former husband is the one drawing media attention at bankruptcy hearing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "Lisa Bloom". AEI Speakers Bureau. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  9. ^ Knibbs, Kate (11 October 2017). "Why Did Lisa Bloom Do It?". The Ringer. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  10. ^ Knibbs, Kate (11 October 2017). "Why Did Lisa Bloom Do It?". The Ringer. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  11. ^ Bloom, Lisa (27 June 2012). "Aligning Equal Pay With The Power Of The Internet". Forbes. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  12. ^ Rudolph, Heather (3 July 2017). ""Nasty, Ugly, Gendered, Vile Threats" Won't Keep Lisa Bloom From Doing Her Job". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  13. ^ Knibbs, Kate (11 October 2017). "Why Did Lisa Bloom Do It?". The Ringer. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  14. ^ Profile, aeispeakers.com; accessed March 27, 2015.
  15. ^ "Tuesday, April 11, 2017 – STEPHANIE MILLER SHOW". www.stephaniemiller.com.
  16. ^ Knibbs, Kate (11 October 2017). "Why Did Lisa Bloom Do It?". The Ringer. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  17. ^ [1]; accessed March 27, 2015.
  18. ^ Bitette, Nicole (July 8, 2017). "Who is Lisa Bloom?". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  19. ^ "Janice Dickinson vows to continue lawsuit vs. Bill Cosby". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  20. ^ Stedman, Alex (June 6, 2017). "Mischa Barton's Lawyer Declares 'Victory' in 'Revenge Porn' Case". Variety. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  21. ^ "Blac Chyna, Lisa Bloom Mum at Court, Focused on Restraining Order Against Rob Kardashian". TMZ. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  22. ^ "Meet Lisa Bloom, the Power Lawyer Who Helped Topple Bill O'Reilly". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  23. ^ a b c d Grove, Lloyd (26 October 2017). "Clients Turn on 'Champion for Women' Lisa Bloom After Her Scorched-Earth Crusade for Harvey Weinstein". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  24. ^ Steel, Emily (9 April 2017). "Fox Asks Law Firm to Investigate Bill O'Reilly Harassment Claim". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  25. ^ Kantor, Jodi; Twohey, Megan (October 5, 2017). "Decades of Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Harvey Weinstein". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  26. ^ Deerwester, Jayme (7 October 2017). "Harvey Weinstein scandal: Lisa Bloom resigns as advisor". USA Today. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  27. ^ Rutenberg, Jim (6 October 2017). "Harvey Weinstein's Media Enablers". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  28. ^ Twohey, Megan; Barr, Johanna (7 October 2017). "Lisa Bloom, Lawyer Advising Harvey Weinstein, Resigns Amid Criticism From Board Members". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  29. ^ @LisaBloom (8 October 2017). "Unbelievably false. Just shockingly so" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Tapper, Jake (10 October 2017). "'Email prankster' reaches Harvey Weinstein, Lisa Bloom". CNN. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  31. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (10 October 2017). "Lisa Bloom Was 'Totally Lied to' by Harvey Weinstein, Did Not Know Severity of Allegations (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  32. ^ Kaufman, Amy (19 October 2017). "Harvey Weinstein is done. But what about Lisa Bloom?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  33. ^ Rosenbaum, Claudia (14 October 2017). "Lisa Bloom Knows She Made "A Colossal Mistake" In Harvey Weinstein". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  34. ^ Nathanson, Jason; Rothman, Michael (17 October 2017). "Amazon Studios President Roy Price resigns amid harassment allegation". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  35. ^ Patten, Dominic (12 October 2017). "Amazon Studios' Roy Price Suspended Amid Sexual Harassment Claims; COO Albert Cheng Named Interim Boss". Deadline. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  36. ^ Grove, Lloyd (26 October 2017). "Clients Turn on 'Champion for Women' Lisa Bloom After Her Scorched-Earth Crusade for Harvey Weinstein". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  37. ^ The PolitiStick (June 2, 2017), Kathy Griffin Attorney Lisa Bloom: Kathy is a Victim of 'Bullying', retrieved July 10, 2017
  38. ^ Deerwester, Jayme (2 June 2017). "Kathy Griffin vs. Donald Trump: Did her press conference help or hurt?". USA Today. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  39. ^ a b Grove, Lloyd (22 October 2017). "Kathy Griffin Dishes on Her Feud With 'Fame Whore' Lawyer Lisa Bloom—and Bloom Returns Fire". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  40. ^ @LisaBloom (22 October 2017). "My statement re Kathy Griffin" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ @LisaBloom (5 December 2014). "I have a husband now. By law he must obey my every whim, right?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ^ http://www.legalbrandmarketing.com/meet-our-team/
  43. ^ http://www.thebloomfirm.com/braden-pollock/
  44. ^ "Meet Lisa Bloom, the Power Lawyer Who Helped Topple Bill O'Reilly". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  45. ^ "Lisa Bloom". The Bloom Firm. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  46. ^ @LisaBloom (22 February 2017). "I am Jewish and I've always had beloved Muslim friends, but yes, I get what you mean" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. ^ Shea, Lisa (2011). "Lisa Bloom's New Book 'Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed Down World'". elle.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ Book Review: Lisa Bloom’s Swagger, booksbywomen.org; accessed March 27, 2015.
  49. ^ SUSPICION NATION by Lisa Bloom | Kirkus Reviews.
  50. ^ Lang, Brent (March 23, 2017). "Jay Z, Weinstein Company to Make Trayvon Martin Film and Documentary Series". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Bloom&oldid=812335533"