Gloria Allred facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gloria Allred
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Allred at a press conference in May 2024
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Gloria Rachel Bloom
July 3, 1941 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Employer | Allred, Maroko & Goldberg |
| Political party | Democratic |
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Peyton Huddleston Bray Jr.
(m. 1960; div. 1962)William Allred
(m. 1968; div. 1987) |
| Children | Lisa Bloom |
Gloria Rachel Allred (born Gloria Rachel Bloom on July 3, 1941) is a famous American lawyer. She is known for taking on important and sometimes controversial cases. Many of her cases are about protecting women's rights and fighting for fairness. For her work, she was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Gloria Rachel Bloom was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1941. She grew up in a Jewish working-class family. Her father, Morris, was a salesman, and her mother, Stella, was a homemaker.
After high school, she went to the University of Pennsylvania. There, she met her first husband, Peyton Huddleston Bray Jr. They had one child, Lisa Bloom, in 1961, but they divorced soon after. Lisa Bloom also became a lawyer and a well-known TV anchor.
Gloria moved back home with her parents and kept studying. In 1963, she graduated with honors with a degree in English. She then decided to become a teacher. She earned a master's degree from New York University. In 1966, she moved to Los Angeles and taught at local high schools.
In 1968, she married William Allred. She decided to study law and went to Loyola Marymount University. She became a lawyer in 1975. Gloria and William Allred divorced in 1987, but she kept his last name.
A Career in Law
For five decades, Gloria Allred has worked as a lawyer. She has helped many people in civil rights cases. These cases often involved women's rights, unfair firing, and other types of discrimination at work. She is known for using press conferences to bring attention to her cases.
Fighting for Fairness in the 1970s and 1980s
In 1976, Allred started her own law firm with two other lawyers. In 1979, she represented families who sued a drugstore chain. They wanted the store to stop having separate toy sections for boys and girls.
In 1981, a California state senator made a rude comment about her in a press release. Allred sued him for libel (spreading false information that harms someone's reputation). She won a $20,000 settlement and an apology.
In 1987, Allred challenged the all-male Friars Club of Beverly Hills. She fought against its policy of not allowing women to be members. Because of her efforts, the club eventually let women join.
Important Cases of the 1990s
In 1992, Allred asked the U.S. Senate to investigate Senator Bob Packwood of Oregon. A newspaper had reported that he had a history of treating women unfairly. Allred kept pushing for the investigation, and the senator eventually resigned.
In 1995, she represented the family of Nicole Brown Simpson during the famous O. J. Simpson murder trial. That same year, she also helped an 11-year-old girl who wanted to join the Boy Scouts of America. The case was about whether the organization had the right to keep girls out.
In 1997, she represented actress Hunter Tylo. Tylo had been fired from the TV show Melrose Place by producer Aaron Spelling because she was pregnant. A jury awarded Tylo $4.8 million. This case was very important for protecting the rights of actresses who become pregnant.
Working for Justice in the 2000s
In 2002, Allred represented the family of Gwen Araujo, a transgender teenager who was killed. In 2004, she represented Amber Frey, a key witness in the Scott Peterson murder trial.
Also in 2004, Allred and her law firm filed the first lawsuit in California to allow same-sex couples to marry. She argued that denying them marriage licenses was against the constitution. In 2008, the California Supreme Court agreed with her. This decision gave same-sex couples the right to marry in California.
In 2008, she represented a client who had a problem with airport security. She also helped the family of a U.S. Navy sailor who was killed in Afghanistan. A bank had refused to cash the family's military benefit checks right away, making it hard for them to pay for the funeral.
High-Profile Cases in the 2010s
In 2010, Allred represented Nicky Diaz, who had worked for California governor candidate Meg Whitman. Allred said that Whitman had employed Diaz for years, even though she knew Diaz was an undocumented immigrant.
In 2011, she helped nine waitresses who were fired from a casino in Atlantic City. The casino said they "did not look good enough" in new 1920s-style Flapper uniforms. Allred helped them file a discrimination lawsuit.
In 2012, Allred represented Jenna Talackova, a transgender woman from Canada. Talackova was not allowed to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant because she was not "naturally born" female. Before the case went to court, the Miss Universe organization changed its rules and let her compete.
Starting around 2015, Allred represented many women who accused comedian Bill Cosby of serious wrongdoing. She also represented women who made similar accusations against Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.
In 2017, she held a press conference for Beverly Young Nelson. Nelson stated that Alabama politician Roy Moore had acted inappropriately with her when she was a teenager.
Recent Work in the 2020s
In 2020, Allred hired a bus to drive around Buckingham Palace in London. The bus had a message encouraging Prince Andrew to speak with the FBI about his connection to a serious case.
In 2021, Allred represented several women who accused the singer R. Kelly of harming them. After Kelly was found guilty of several crimes, Allred said he was one of the worst predators she had ever gone after in her long career.
In 2024, Allred began representing several people who accused music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs of serious misconduct.
Allred in Entertainment
Gloria Allred has also appeared in movies and on television.
- She co-hosted a radio talk show in Los Angeles for 14 years.
- She was a panelist on the TV game show To Tell the Truth in 1990.
- She appeared as herself in the 2001 movie Rat Race.
- She was parodied on animated shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy.
- From 2011 to 2012, she had her own TV court show called We the People with Gloria Allred.
- In 2013, she was a guest on the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race.
Political and Personal Life
Allred is the president of the Women's Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund (WERLDEF). This organization works to protect and advance women's rights.
She was married to Peyton Huddleston Bray, Jr. from 1960 to 1962. She was later married to William Allred from 1968 to 1987. Her daughter, Lisa Bloom, was born in 1961. Allred is Jewish but has said she is not very religious.
See also
In Spanish: Gloria Allred para niños
