Gloria Allred
Born 1941 · Age 84
American attorney and women's-rights advocate known for high-profile representation of victims of sexual harassment, assault, discrimination and other civil-rights matters; founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg and founder/president of the Women's Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born Gloria Rachel Bloom in Philadelphia
Born into a Jewish working-class family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Married Peyton Huddleston Bray Jr.
First marriage; met him while at the University of Pennsylvania.
Birth of daughter Lisa Bloom
Only child, Lisa Bloom, was born on September 20, 1961; Lisa later became an attorney and TV personality.
Divorced first husband
Divorced Peyton Huddleston Bray Jr. and moved back in with her parents while continuing education.
BA, University of Pennsylvania (English, with honors)
Earned a bachelor's degree in English with honors; wrote an honors thesis on black writers despite objections from a professor.
Survived sexual assault and illegal abortion
Reported in her autobiography: raped at gunpoint during a 1966 vacation in Acapulco; obtained a back-alley abortion, suffered complications and hospitalization—an event that shaped her later advocacy.
Moved to Los Angeles; taught in public schools
After earning an MA from NYU, she moved to Los Angeles in 1966, taught at Jordan High School and Fremont High School and worked for the Los Angeles Teachers Association.
Married William Allred
Married William Allred; she later retained the Allred name after divorce.
Graduated law school and admitted to California Bar
Earned a JD (transferred from Southwestern to Loyola Marymount University School of Law) and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1975.
Founded Allred, Maroko & Goldberg (AM&G)
Co-founded the law firm Allred, Maroko & Goldberg with Loyola classmates Michael Maroko and Nathan Goldberg (January 1976).
Incorporated Women's Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund (WERLDEF)
Founded and incorporated WERLDEF (later Legal Momentum), serving as founder and president to promote women's legal rights (incorporated in 1978).
Sav-On toys gender discrimination suit
Represented seven children and parents in a lawsuit to stop Sav-On Drugstore chain from designating separate sections for boys' and girls' toys.
Presented chastity belt to Senator John Schmitz; sued for libel
After Schmitz called her a 'slick butch lawyeress' in retaliation, Allred sued for libel and secured a settlement and apology.
Represented Deborah Johnson & Zandra Rolón (Papa Choux case)
Represented lesbian activists denied service at Papa Choux; the case led to Rolon v. Kulwitzky which reversed a lower court and found municipal discrimination.
Drafted Antipornography Civil Rights Ordinance
With Catharine MacKinnon, drafted a version of the Antipornography Civil Rights Ordinance for Los Angeles County (legislation failed to pass).
President's Award & Volunteerism commendation presented at White House
Received the President’s Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers and the President’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism presented by President Ronald Reagan at the White House.
Sued Friars Club over gender discrimination
Took on the all-male Friars Club of Beverly Hills over their exclusionary membership policies; this led to women being allowed access to the club's health facilities.
Friars Club allows women to use health facilities
Following litigation and publicity, the Friars Club agreed to let Allred and other women use its health facilities (reported May 1988).
Named one of 30 Most Powerful People in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Magazine)
Los Angeles Magazine named her one of the 30 Most Powerful People in Los Angeles (in July 1990 feature).
Urged Senate Ethics investigation into Senator Bob Packwood
Wrote to the Senate Ethics Committee pressing for investigation of Packwood's sexual harassment allegations; pressure contributed to his resignation.
Briefly represented Jordan Chandler in Michael Jackson matter
Brief representation in child sexual-abuse related matters involving Michael Jackson (case contexts reported in 1993).
Yeaw v. Boy Scouts of America (girls' membership suit)
Represented 11-year-old Katrina Yeaw in a case challenging the Boy Scouts' exclusion of girls from membership rights.
Represented Nicole Brown Simpson family
Represented the family of Nicole Brown Simpson during the O. J. Simpson murder trial public/media phases.
Represented Kelly Fisher vs Dodi Fayed
Represented model Kelly Fisher in suit alleging Dodi Fayed broke off their engagement in favor of Diana, Princess of Wales; suit dropped after the Paris deaths.
Hunter Tylo wrongful termination victory ($4.8M)
Represented actress Hunter Tylo after being fired while pregnant; jury awarded Tylo $4.8 million, a precedent for pregnancy protections for actors.
Parodied on Family Guy ('Gloria Ironbox')
Parodied as 'Gloria Ironbox' on Family Guy episode 'I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar' (March 28, 2000 episode date).
Received Judy Jarvis Memorial Award (Radio)
Received the Judy Jarvis Memorial Award from the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts (May 2001) for contributions to talk radio.
Appeared in the film Rat Race; parodied on The Simpsons and South Park
Appeared as herself in Rat Race (2001); parodied on The Simpsons (May 21, 2001) and South Park (June 27, 2001).
Represented family of Gwen Araujo
Represented the family of Gwen Araujo, a transgender teen who was beaten to death; case received nationwide attention.
Long-running KABC radio co-host (14 years)
Co-hosted a radio talk show with Mark Taylor on KABC in Los Angeles for 14 years (years not precisely specified in sources).
Filed first California lawsuit challenging denial of same-sex marriage licenses
Filed the first California lawsuit (pro bono) challenging the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples on February 24, 2004 for Robin Tyler, Diane Olson, Rev. Troy Perry and Phillip De Blieck.
Published 'Fight Back and Win'
Authored Fight Back and Win: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice — And How You Can Win Your Own Battles (2006 edition referenced).
Circuit City age-discrimination representation after mass layoffs
Represented three former Circuit City employees on behalf of a large plaintiff class after the company fired 3,400 workers nationwide in April 2007.
Filed complaint against TSA (nipple ring screening)
Filed a complaint in March 2008 after a client was told to remove nipple rings at a Lubbock, Texas airport; led to TSA admitting faulty procedures.
California Supreme Court rules for same-sex marriage
The California Supreme Court ruled on May 15, 2008 affirming the right of same-sex couples to marry in California — a case Allred had helped bring earlier.
Filed complaint against Downey Savings and Loan Association
Filed a federal complaint over refusal to immediately cash military bereavement checks for the family of Marc Retmier, a 19-year-old US Navy Hospitalman killed in June 2008.
Filed suit claiming Nadya Suleman exploited octuplets
Filed suit in May 2009 asking for a court-appointed guardian for Suleman's octuplets, alleging exploitation.
Retained Rachel Uchitel (Tiger Woods scandal)
Retained Rachel Uchitel in December 2009 after media alleged Uchitel had an affair with Tiger Woods; five years later Uchitel won a $6M malpractice arbitration award against Allred's firm.
Represented clients in high-profile employment/harassment matters (e.g., Jodie Fisher, Meg Whitman case)
Represented Jodie Fisher (Aug 2010) whose suit exposed expense-account irregularities prompting HP CEO Mark Hurd's resignation; publicly represented Nicky Diaz (2010) regarding Meg Whitman's employment of an undocumented worker.
Represented Charlotte Lewis alleging Roman Polanski abuse
Held a May 14, 2010 press conference where English actress Charlotte Lewis alleged sexual abuse by Roman Polanski when she was 16.
Press conference: Justin Quinn/Roger McDowell
Appeared with Justin Quinn's family (April 27, 2011) concerning alleged homophobic slurs and threatening conduct by Braves coach Roger McDowell at a Giants game.
Debuted 'We the People with Gloria Allred'
Debuted a courtroom television series using improv actors to reenact fictitious cases (September 12, 2011).
Won approval to represent nine Resorts Casino cocktail waitresses
On October 18, 2011, the court approved her representation of nine former cocktail waitresses fired for not looking good enough in new uniforms.
Represented Jenna Talackova (Miss Universe Canada transgender case)
Took on Jenna Talackova's case after she was disqualified by Miss Universe Canada for not being 'naturally born'; the organization reversed its decision.
Called for prosecution investigation of Rush Limbaugh
On March 9, 2012 Allred called for an investigation into whether Rush Limbaugh should be prosecuted for derogatory remarks about Sandra Fluke.
Hired by wife of Edwin Mieses (Hollywood Stuntz assault aftermath)
On October 4, 2013 Allred represented the wife of motorcyclist Edwin Mieses, who suffered spinal injuries after being run over during the Hollywood Stuntz incident.
Received Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Trial Lawyers
January 2014: awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her role combating injustice and winning new rights for women and minorities.
Represented many alleged Bill Cosby accusers
As of 2015, was representing at least 28 women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault/harassment/misconduct.
Represented accusers who accused Donald Trump of misconduct
Represented three women who accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct; claims arose during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Subject of bar investigations (California & D.C.)
In 2017 former client Kyle Hunter filed complaints with the California State Bar and D.C. Bar alleging conflict of interest; Allred denied wrongdoing and said matter stemmed from an extortion attempt.
Press conference for Beverly Young Nelson (Roy Moore allegation)
Held a November 11, 2017 press conference representing Beverly Young Nelson, who alleged sexual assault by Roy Moore when she was 16.
Received multiple 2018 honors (Lenore Kramer Award, NOW Lifetime Achievement, IWF award noted earlier)
In 2018 she received the Lenore Kramer Award (Feb 2018), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for Women, along with other honors.
Netflix documentary 'Seeing Allred' premieres at Sundance; global release
The documentary about her life and work premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and launched globally on Netflix in February 2018.
Discussed in She Said (2019) re: NDAs and settlements
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey's 2019 book She Said discussed how Allred and her firm negotiated non-disclosure agreements in high-profile cases and the consequences thereof.
Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame
Recognized and inducted by the National Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions to women's rights (Year Honored: 2019).
Prince Andrew Buckingham Palace bus ad campaign
Hired a school-bus sized advertisement to urge Prince Andrew to respond to FBI questions about sexual-misconduct allegations; bus placed outside Buckingham Palace (Feb 2020).
Represented Hannah Archuleta regarding Turn-About Ranch allegations
Represented Hannah Archuleta, who alleged assault at a Utah ranch after a Dr. Phil referral; the judge dismissed the lawsuit and the show countersued for legal costs.
Represented victims in R. Kelly prosecutions and civil matters
Represented several victims who accused R. Kelly; after his September 2021 conviction Allred called him the worst predator she'd pursued in her 47-year career.
Declined to represent Effie Angelova (Armie Hammer accusation)
Revealed in 2022 she refused to represent Efrosina 'Effie' Angelova alleging assault by Armie Hammer because Angelova would not sign a declaration under penalty of perjury.
Filed civil lawsuit accusing Roman Polanski of 1973 assault (Los Angeles County)
A 2023 civil lawsuit filed by a woman represented by Allred accused Polanski of sexual assault in 1973 when she was a minor; matter later settled (see 2024 dismissal).
Out-of-court settlement with Roman Polanski reported (over summer 2024); dismissal Oct 2024
Parties reached an undisclosed settlement over the summer of 2024; the case was formally dismissed in October 2024.
Represented alleged victims of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Represented various individuals claiming to be sexual-assault victims of Sean 'Diddy' Combs in 2024 (civil suits and public statements).
Represented Guadalupe De Los Santos in suit vs 50 Cent
In 2025 represented photographer Guadalupe De Los Santos in a lawsuit alleging assault and related claims stemming from an incident in Los Angeles.
Featured commencement speaker, Washington College of Law at American University
Scheduled/announced as a featured commencement speaker at Washington College of Law (May 17, 2025).
Represented Halyna Hutchins' family in statements after 'Rust' armorer release
Issued statements on behalf of the parents and sister of Halyna Hutchins following the March 2024 conviction and subsequent developments (May 24, 2025 reports).
Rode in 2025 West Hollywood Pride parade
Participated in the 2025 West Hollywood Pride parade (June 1, 2025), riding with a drag performer impersonating her; public visibility supporting LGBTQ+ causes.
Public advocacy re: Jeffrey Epstein files and representing Alicia Arden
Throughout July-August 2025 made multiple media appearances representing Alicia Arden and urging release of Epstein/Maxwell DOJ files with redactions to protect victims.
85th birthday media mentions and profile coverage
Birthday July 3, 1941 noted in media profiles during 2025 reporting her ongoing legal work and public statements.
Active public advocacy and media appearances (Epstein/Combs/Weinstein matters)
In August 2025 made numerous national and international media appearances regarding Jeffrey Epstein files, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other high-profile matters; continued representing victims in ongoing civil cases.
Key Achievement Ages
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