Gloria Allred, the celebrity women’s rights attorney, has publicly called out another lawyer who’s represented sexual harassment victims in the past for agreeing to work for indie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The catch? It’s Allred’s daughter, Lisa Bloom.
“Had I been asked by Mr. Weinstein to represent him, I would have declined, because I do not represent individuals accused of sex harassment,” Allred said a statement Thursday released just after a bombshell New York Times story had settled at least eight cases of sexual harassment spanning decades.
“I only represent those who allege that they are victims of sexual harassment,” she added.
Allred said she could not account or speak for her daughter’s actions, but warned that she would not be afraid to face her in court, representing Weinstein’s accusers.
“While I would not represent Mr. Weinstein, I would consider representing anyone who accused Mr. Weinstein of sexual harassment, even if it meant that my daughter was the opposing counsel,” said Allred.
Seeking to get ahead of the headlines, Bloom issued her own statement on Thursday defending her work for Weinstein, saying that the longtime Hollywood mogul was trying to change his ways.
“As a women’s rights advocate, I have been blunt with Harvey and he has listened to me,” Bloom said. “I have told him that 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 mistakes he has made.”
Bloom is know to have a working relationship with Weinstein. In April, she revealed that he and Jay-Z would be adapting her book “Suspicion Nation” into a TVminiseries.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: My book SUSPICION NATION is being made into a miniseries, produced by Harvey Weinstein and Jay Z! https://t.co/Z4pu7y0TfX
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 7, 2017
Weinstein and his brother Bob co-founded the indie film company Miramax in the late 1970s and grew into a powerhouse brand that made art-house films mainstream — and reshaped the Academy Awards race with aggressive marketing and buzz.
The company was bought by Disney in 1993, where the brothers continued to run the company — and dominate the Oscar race — until they left in 2005 to launch the new privately held The Weinstein Company.
He is currently serving as producer on “The Current War,” which is viewed as a solid awards contender. In 1999, he won an Oscar for producing Best Picture winner “Shakespeare in Love” and was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York.”