Timeline: Gloria Allred’s high-profile cases and clients over the decades
Attorney Gloria Allred speaks at a news conference in 2014. Over the last four decades, she’s represented rape victims and celebrities in high-profile cases.
Gloria Allred, whose website touts her as the most famous woman attorney practicing law in the nation, is the face of a firm known for filing high-profile discrimination and sexual abuse lawsuits. The media-savvy Allred has also worked as an advocate or a publicist for people who find themselves embroiled in scandal. Here’s a look at some of the more memorable cases and clients of the attorney’s four-decade career.
Sav-On Drugs
1979
Seven children and their parents filed a lawsuit that ended the chain’s gender-specific toy aisles.
John Schmitz
1981
Allred publicly handed a chastity belt to California State Sen. John Schmitz, who proposed banning abortion. He responded by calling her a "slick butch lawyeress." She sued for libel and won $20,000 and an apology.
Papa Choux
1983
A gay couple denied seating at the Los Angeles restaurant’s romantic curtained booths filed suit. The case prevailed in the state court of appeal.
L.A. Archdiocese
1984
Rita Milla claimed that seven priests had sex with her as a teenager and sent her abroad to give birth. After more than two decades, she received a settlement and was granted a paternity test that proved one of the priests was the father of her daughter.
Friars Club of Beverly Hills
1987
Allred’s personal desire to join the club led to a discrimination suit that ended its males-only policy.
Roe vs. Wade
1989
Known only as Jane Doe, Norma McCorvey saw her anonymity lifted as Allred guided her into the national dialogue on abortion.
READ: With Cosby case, Gloria Allred again finds herself in scandal's spotlight
Boy Scouts of America
1995
Eleven-year-old Katrina Yeaw was unsuccessful in her campaign to become a Scout when the California Supreme Court ruled that the organization was not a business and couldn’t be sued for discrimination.
Nicole Brown Simpson’s family
1994
Left, Allred with photograph of Nicole Brown Simpson clipped to her dress in 1994. Right, in 1996, Allred holds up a vial of blood while protesting near the Simpson estate. The vial represents evidence police found of O.J. Simpson's blood at the crime scene. (Francis Gardler / Los Angeles Times; Michael Caulfield / AP)
Allred represented the family of Simpson during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial.
Hunter Tylo
1997
Actress Hunter Tylo, right, speaks outside the Los Angeles County Courthouse after a jury awarded Tylo nearly $5 million on Dec. 22, 1997, for being fired from her role as a seductress on "Melrose Place" because she became pregnant. (Nick Ut / AP)
The actress was awarded nearly $5 million after being fired from "Melrose Place" for being pregnant.
Dodi Fayed
1997
Model Kelly Fisher sued fiance Dodi Fayed for breach of contract after learning he was seeing Princess Diana. When the princess and Fayed were killed that year in a car crash, Fisher dropped the suit.
Marv Albert
1997
P.J. Masten testified that the sports broadcaster had bitten and sexually harassed her. Charged with sodomy and assault, Albert ended up taking a plea deal before his criminal trial ended.
Amber Frey
2003
Amber Frey, center, with Allred, right, and her law partner Nathan Goldberg, left, leaves the courthouse after the Scott Peterson murder trial. (Al Golub / The Modesto Bee)
Allred acted as publicist and advocate for the girlfriend of Scott Peterson. Frey testified for the prosecution and Peterson was eventually convicted of murdering his pregnant wife.
Gay Marriage ban
2004
Diane Olson and her spouse, Robin Tyler, pictured with Allred as she announces a new lawsuit against Proposition 8. The couple were married June 16, 2008, after Allred represented them in their victory before the California Supreme Court. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
Two couples filed the first lawsuit that would end up challenging the state’s prohibition of same-sex marriage.
Circuit City
2007
Eloise Garcia, 66, center, a former employee of Circuit City, cries as she recounts the day she was laid off after what she said was 17 1/2 years of employment. Allred represented 217 ex-employees who sued the retailer alleging age discrimination. (Damian Dovarganes / AP)
More than 200 fired employees who claimed they were targeted because they were older and earned higher wages received a $15 million settlement.
Tiger Woods
2010
Veronica Siwik-Daniels, left, a former porn star who claims she had a three-year romantic relationship with golfer Tiger Woods, and Allred hug at a news conference reacting to Tiger Woods' apology in 2010. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Veronica Siwik-Daniels, who said she had a romantic relationship with the golfer, requested an apology from Woods. A press conference that Allred had scheduled for Rachel Uchitel, another of the golfer's alleged mistresses, was canceled hours beforehand when Uchitel and Woods reached a confidential settlement.
Meg Whitman
2010
Nicandra Diaz Santillan was awarded back wages after she said she was coldly dismissed from her housekeeping job for being undocumented by the one-time gubernatorial candidate.
Anthony Weiner
2011
Allred was at Ginger Lee’s side when the former porn star announced New York Representative Anthony Weiner asked her to lie about explicit photos he sent and their racy online interactions.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Gloria Allred is the lawyer everyone loves to hate
Herman Cain
2012
After Sharon Bialek accused the former Godfather's Pizza CEO of sexual harassment, his campaign for the Republican Party presidential nomination fell apart.
Jenna Talackova
2012
Jenna Talackova, right, who advanced to the finals of the Miss Canada pageant before she was forced out because she was not “a naturally-born female,â€, in 2012. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
At first disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant for being a transgender woman, she won the right to compete and made it to the final 12.
Occidental College
2013
Allred congratulates six women for their courage in filing a complaint against Occidental College for its alleged "deliberate indifference to rape victims." (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
At least 10 current and former students received confidential settlements after filing a federal complaint accusing the school of mishandling allegations of sexual assault.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
