Lisa Bloom resigned from the Harvey Weinstein case over a week ago, but the lawyer, who primarily represents women and victims of sexual harassment, says her troubles are far from over. Bloom told Refinery29 Thursday that since taking and ultimately dropping the film mogul's sexual misconduct case after more allegations of harassment and assault surfaced against the director, she's been on the receiving end of brutal online bullying.
"It’s been vicious and graphic," she explained. "I’ve mostly stayed off social media."
However, those who have access to her email address have continued to barrage her with "the ugliest things."
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"You gotta wonder, 'Who are these people?'" she continued. "Go after after a murderer or a rapist, why are you so angry at me?"
While Bloom eventually left her position as Harvey Weinstein's legal advisor, she considers her role a success.
"In every case, it’s about accountability," she said. "In that case, I was in it to get him to acknowledge what he did wrong. We can’t turn back the clock and get him to undo the bad behavior, but we can at least say: starting now we can acknowledge what he did wrong. I thought that was a great victory, but others did not see it that way."
Her position has almost always been on the side of surivors, be they men or women, and the Weinstein case, while an exception, was just one of a hundred that her law firm deals with on a daily basis.
"There are a lot of brave people telling stories of sexual harassment every day," she said. "I am happy to confer with anyone who reaches out, confidentially and free, for anyone who needs guidance, and tell them if we can’t help you, here’s where you can go. I think we’re having a great conversation around sexual harassment...A lot of what lawyers do is confidential, and a lot of what I do is empowering women to make the decision [whether or not to act]."
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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