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'''Gloria Allred''' (born '''Gloria Bloom''' on [[July |
'''Gloria Allred''' (born '''Gloria Bloom''' on [[July 1]], [[1941]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States]]) is a [[Jewish-American]] [[lawyer]], [[radio]] [[talk show]] [[host]], and [[media personality]]. She is a graduate of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and [[Loyola Law School]] in Los Angeles. She is married and has one daughter. |
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She represented [[Amber Frey]] when Frey was a witness in the criminal case against [[Scott Peterson (murderer)|Scott Peterson]]. She has also represented cases against the [[Boy Scouts of America]] for not allowing girls, something she referred to as ''[[gender]] [[apartheid]]'', a case against [[K-Mart]] for having both a boys and a girls [[toy]] section, as well as representing actress [[Hunter Tylo]] when producer [[Aaron Spelling]] fired her because of her pregnancy. |
She represented [[Amber Frey]] when Frey was a witness in the criminal case against [[Scott Peterson (murderer)|Scott Peterson]]. She has also represented cases against the [[Boy Scouts of America]] for not allowing girls, something she referred to as ''[[gender]] [[apartheid]]'', a case against [[K-Mart]] for having both a boys and a girls [[toy]] section, as well as representing actress [[Hunter Tylo]] when producer [[Aaron Spelling]] fired her because of her pregnancy. |
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Revision as of 18:30, 12 January 2006
Gloria Allred (born Gloria Bloom on July 1, 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is a Jewish-American lawyer, radio talk show host, and media personality. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. She is married and has one daughter.
She represented Amber Frey when Frey was a witness in the criminal case against Scott Peterson. She has also represented cases against the Boy Scouts of America for not allowing girls, something she referred to as gender apartheid, a case against K-Mart for having both a boys and a girls toy section, as well as representing actress Hunter Tylo when producer Aaron Spelling fired her because of her pregnancy.
Early in her career in Los Angeles, Allred made a name for herself by successfully suing the then all-male Jonathan Club, an exclusive private club, over its membership discrimination policies. The lawsuit was brought by a professional woman in the late 1970s who was spurned by the club when her application was rejected based solely on her sex, which the club denied, but Allred proved in court. The 100 year old beach and town club now does not sexually or ethnically discriminate in its membership.
She has stirred much controversy with her outspokenness. She has accused California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of being a Nazi sympathizer without sufficient evidence, stating there were "six million reasons not to vote" for him and also referred to U.S. President George W. Bush as the President-select. She also once referred to U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas as an Uncle Tom.
After she brought the lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, she was asked if she would represent a man suing the WNBA, LPGA or a women's college. Allred responded, "That's a good question. I don't have an answer for you."
She used to co-host a radio talkshow with Mark Taylor on KABC in Los Angeles.
One particularly noticable characteristic of Gloria Allred is the time she spends on TV. She's widely considered to be one of the most overexposed television personalities, and many like to criticise her for this. Take, for example, Salon.com's tribute to her as the "Queen of Overexposure." San Francisco Chronicle reporter Peter Hartlaub calls her the person for the media "to turn to," even if she has nothing worthwile to contribute. To back up his statement, Hartlaub cites a peculiar showing on one of her many television interviews. He references a visit Allred made to The Today Show, when she apparently showed up for no other reason than to say she wouldn't discuss matters pertaining to one of her clients. In amazement, Lauer, one of the show's hosts, replied saying, "I don't mean to be rude here, but I just want to make sure I understand this...Then the reason that -- that both of you are appearing here this morning is simply [to say you two have nothing to say]...nothing more?"
Craig Smith, a legal commentator, has shown his dislike for her by saying "lawyers shouldn't try their cases in the media and Allred has tried far more cases in the media than she has ever tried in any courtroom." In his opinion, she spends much too much time on television, and not enough in court. That may not be a good thing at all for Allred because she now seemingly believes everyone should know her. Smith spoke of a bad limo-ride episode in which Allred chastised the driver because he didn't know who she was (Smith was not there).