Roberta A. Kaplan, the chairwoman of Time’s Up and co-founder of its legal defense fund, has resigned from her position after it was revealed she was involved in an attempt to discredit one of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) accusers.
In a letter announcing her resignation, she said, “Unfortunately, recent events have made it clear that even our apparent allies in the fight to advance women can turn out to be abusers.”
“We have felt the raw, personal, and profound pain of that betrayal,” she continued.
Finally, she said, “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.”
Time’s Up was founded to advocate for “a world where women have an equal shot at success and security. A world where no one lives in fear of sexual harassment or assault,” according to its website.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report last week that found the governor “sexually harassed a number of State employees through unwelcome and unwanted touching, as well as by making numerous offensive and sexually suggestive comments.”
The Times reports that Kaplan represented Cuomo’s former top aide Melissa DeRosa, who resigned on Sunday, in James’ investigation.
That investigation revealed that DeRosa led the effort to attack former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan who was the first woman to accuse the governor of sexual harassment.
Additionally, it found that Kaplan reviewed an op-letter that was not published that attacked Boylan’s character.
Cuomo’s aides also reportedly reached out to others for their input on the letter, including Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, Tina Tchen, the chief executive of Time’s Up, and CNN’s Chris Cuomo.
In a statement, Time’s Up confirmed Kaplan’s resignation and said, “We hold ourselves accountable. The events of the last week have made it clear that our process should be evaluated and we intend to do just that.”
TIME'S UP releases a statement: "We recognize that this work has sometimes resulted in a lack of trust from the broader survivor community we serve and to which we also belong. We are looking within."
— Hanna Trudo (@HCTrudo) August 9, 2021
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“We need more transparency about our vision of change-making, and we need a more inclusive process to engage the broader survivor community, many of whom have spent years doing the noble work of fighting for women,” the statement added.
