Famed #MeToo Lawyer Probed by California Bar

Gloria Allred, the trailblazing attorney who helped define the #MeToo movement, is now under fire herself.

The State Bar of California has launched an investigation into her powerhouse firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, following allegations that they pressured vulnerable clients into hush-hush settlements that may not have served their best interests. The revelations were first exposed in a bombshell Wall Street Journal report back in March, and now the legal watchdog is digging deeper.

The heart of the probe? Claims that Allred’s firm used “high-pressure tactics” to steer clients—many of them survivors of sexual abuse—into signing confidential settlement agreements. Some say they were pushed to avoid trials and keep quiet, even when they wanted to speak out.

“I felt cornered,” one former client told the Journal. “They made me believe I had no other option.”

The firm, known for taking on high-profile predators like Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly, and Jeffrey Epstein, has built a reputation for being relentless in its pursuit of justice for women. But now, some former clients say that same intensity was used against them.

Allred, now 83, is fiercely defending her legacy. “We have always acted ethically and in accordance with the Rules of Professional Responsibility,” she told the Journal. “I will not bow down to kings—or The Wall Street Journal.”

This isn’t the first time Allred has faced criticism over how her firm handles settlements. Critics have long argued that confidential deals often silence survivors and let abusers walk away without real accountability.

But for Democrats and progressives who’ve viewed Allred as a warrior for women’s rights, the allegations are raising difficult questions about the price of justice—and who gets to decide what that looks like.

The State Bar has not confirmed when the probe will conclude, but legal experts say it could have wide-reaching implications for how high-profile legal advocates operate in the post-#MeToo era.

For now, one of America’s most recognizable feminist attorneys is in a new kind of spotlight—this time, as the one under scrutiny.