Celeb Lawyer Lisa Bloom Says Representing Harvey Weinstein Was a 'Colossal Mistake'

October 14, 2017

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In an explosive New York Times investigation published October 5, some incredible reporting—and many brave women—uncovered that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has allegedly spent decades sexually harassing women while apparently hushing women who might speak up with financial settlements. Days after the story broke, Weinstein was fired from his own production company and is now reported to be in a treatment center.

But before the allegations against Weinstein went public, power lawyer Lisa Bloom, who's known for taking on women's rights cases, was hired to advise Weinstein. Her agreement to represent him came much to the befuddlement of feminists, as well as her own mother, who happens to be Gloria Allred, a lawyer famous for taking on high-profile sexual harassment cases. (Recently Allred's clients have included at least 28 women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct and three women accusing President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.) Bloom quit as Weinstein's lawyer on October 7 and has now admitted in a Buzzfeed interview published Saturday that taking the job was a "colossal mistake."

She's known for representing female celebrities like Mischa Barton, Blac Chyna, Kathy Griffin, and a number of women who accused former Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment. Because of her previous work advocating for women, it seemed strange when it came to light that Bloom was set to defend him—and according to a statement she posted on Twitter the day the story broke, she'd been advising Weinstein about a year before he was fired.

"As a women’s rights advocate, I have been blunt with Harvey and he has listened to me," she said in the statement. "I have told him the times have changed, it is 2017, and he needs to evolve to a higher standard. I have found Harvey to be refreshingly candid and receptive to my message. He has acknowledged the mistakes he has made.… He is an old dinosaur and learning new ways."

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She told Buzzfeed that during her time working for Weinstein, she wasn't aware that he'd been accused of sexual harassment. Bloom says she was told that she was hired to help him handle his anger and workplace attitude and that when she learned of the accusations she was "absolutely shocked." It didn't help matters, however, that the Weinstein Company was planning to turn a book of hers into a miniseries.

Bloom resigned two days after the Times story came out and tweeted, "I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein. My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board are moving toward an agreement."

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In her Buzzfeed interview, Bloom explained her initial decision to represent Weinstein: "I can see that my just being associated with this was a mistake. All I can say is, from my perspective, I thought, Here is my chance to get to the root of the problem from the inside. I am usually on the outside throwing stones. Here is my chance to be in the inside and to get a guy to handle this thing in a different way. I thought that would be a positive thing, but clearly it did not go over at all."

Shade also seemed to come from her mother, who said that if she'd been asked to advise Weinstein, "I would have declined, because I do not represent individuals accused of sex harassment." Allred posted a more positive statement on Facebook Saturday, however: "I would like to say that my daughter Lisa Bloom is and always has been a champion for women's rights....Nothing that has happened in the recent past has altered my views of Lisa's commitment to protecting and advancing women's rights. I stand behind Lisa and support her."

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Bloom told Buzzfeed that, going forward, she won't represent men accused of sexual misconduct, even if they claim to be innocent. She added, "I will just make the best choices I can out of every situation. I have clearly not been successful. I think anybody who does big bold things fails. And I definitely failed on this one."