One of the more prominent figures that has been supporting Andrew Cuomo has stepped down.
Roberta Kaplan, a prominent US attorney and chairwoman of Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, has resigned from Time’s Up.
Kaplan resigned after she came under fire for trying to discredit one of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s accusers.
Never Take Sides
Kaplan made the major mistake of taking sides in this fight before a full investigation was conducted.
We have all been tempted to defend or attack someone in such cases, but you can get badly burned if things don’t work out the way you had hoped, and that is exactly what happened with Kaplan.
After the allegations came out against Cuomo, she went into overdrive trying to discredit one of his accuser’s allegations, allegations proven to be true per the Letitia James investigation.
Kaplan, in announcing her resignation as chair, stated, “As a result, I cannot offer the degree of transparency about my firm’s matters now being demanded, since that would be contrary to my responsibilities as a lawyer.
“I therefore have reluctantly come to the conclusion that an active law practice is no longer compatible with serving on the Board at Time’s Up at this time and I hereby resign.”
Kaplan was mentioned in the James report, specifically citing an op-ed written by Kaplan.
The report stated, “The draft letter or op-ed attacking Ms. Boylan — particularly when combined with the release of the confidential internal records to the press — constitutes retaliation.”
Addressing that notation in her resignation, Kaplan stated, “Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers.”
Kaplan has also been targeted by a group of sexual harassment survivors in a recent letter to Time’s Up.
In part, the letter stated, “Time’s Up has abandoned the very people it was supposed to champion. The board continues to fail to heed the outcry from survivors. Time’s Up is failing all survivors.”
This is now the second casualty to fall in the wake of the Cuomo scandal.
Source: New York Post
