Book Claims Harvey Weinstein Paid Lisa Bloom $895 an Hour To Be His Lawyer, Discredit His Accusers
A new book claims that lawyer Lisa Bloom — who made a name for herself by defending women who allege they were sexually abused — was being paid $895 per hour while working for Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer whose image has been buried under a mountain of allegations that he used his position to sexually assault women.
The book is called “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” and was written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, both of whom write for The New York Times.
Weinstein has denied ever having non-consensual sex and has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and rape.
The book quotes a 2016 memo Bloom wrote to Weinstein while she was pitching for his business, according to The New York Daily News. At the time, Weinstein was facing sexual harassment accusations from actress Rose McGowan.
“I feel equipped to help you against the Roses of the world because I have represented so many of them. They start out as impressive, bold women, but the more one presses for evidence, the weaknesses and lies are revealed,” Bloom wrote.
She called for online “counter-ops” to “push back and call her out as a pathological liar.”
“We can place an article re her becoming increasingly unglued, so that when someone Googles her this is what pops up and she’s discredited,” Bloom wrote.
“You should be the hero of your story, not the villain. This is very doable.”
The book brought forth an apology from Bloom on Twitter.
“While painful, I learn so much more from my mistakes than my successes. To those who missed my 2017 apology, and especially to the women: I am sorry,” she tweeted, adding a statement she said would “ensure that I will not make the same mistake again.”
While painful, I learn so much more from my mistakes than my successes.
To those who missed my 2017 apology, and especially to the women: I am sorry.
Here are the changes I’ve made to ensure that I will not make that mistake again. pic.twitter.com/FSSl3qrFjQ
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) September 8, 2019
McGowan fired off a tweet indicating she was not of a mind to let bygones be bygones.
“The evil that was perpetrated on me and others was mind bending and illegal. Lisa Bloom should be disbarred,” she tweeted.
The evil that was perpetrated on me and others was mind bending and illegal. Lisa Bloom should be disbarred @yashar https://t.co/kpqkM2JKhS
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) September 8, 2019
Others also trashed Bloom’s apology.
3. A source close to Bloom during the time she repped Harvey Weinstein tells me her apology rings hollow for many reasons but particularly for this reason: when Bloom was repping him she was deeply proud of being associated with him and would often brag to outsiders about it
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) September 9, 2019
The book also includes the text of a letter from Weinstein’s brother, Bob, to the disgraced producer, according to The New York Times.
“You have brought shame to the family and your company through your misbehavior,” the letter said, according to The Times report. “Your reaction was once more to blame the victims, or to minimize the misbehavior in various ways. If you think nothing is wrong with your misbehavior so in this area then announce it to your wife and family.”
The book focuses on how the story about Weinstein’s alleged activities was assembled, and names actress Gwyneth Paltrow as being “scared to go on the record but became an early, crucial source, sharing her account of sexual harassment and trying to recruit other actresses to speak,” the Times reported.
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