She represented E. Jean Carroll in defamation lawsuits against former US President Donald Trump
Renowned lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who represented writer E. Jean Carroll in defamation lawsuits against former US President Donald Trump, announced her departure from Kaplan Hecker & Fink to establish a new law firm.
Kaplan will be joined by partner Tim Martin in the formation of Kaplan Martin, which is set to launch on July 15.
The New York Times reported Kaplan's exit followed complaints about her conduct at the firm, alleging she made insulting and threatening comments to colleagues. Kaplan's lawyers denied these allegations, and Kaplan defended her record in the article. Reuters has not independently verified these claims. Kaplan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
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In a statement, Kaplan Hecker partners Sean Hecker and Julie Fink noted, "It was Robbie’s decision to leave the firm" and expressed their well-wishes for her new venture. Reuters reported that the firm will rebrand as Hecker Fink.
Kaplan Hecker & Fink gained significant attention for its high-profile lawsuits against Trump, including a US$ 83.3 million verdict on behalf of Carroll. Carroll had accused Trump of destroying her reputation by denying he raped her. Trump has denied the allegations and is appealing the verdict.
Kaplan explained her departure by expressing a desire to practice law in a "smaller, more nimble place," noting that Hecker Fink had grown beyond her original vision, listing more than 60 lawyers. She indicated that her new firm would include partners Steven Cohen, a founding member of Blue Raven, and Mitra Hormozi from Walden Macht & Haran.
Kaplan plans to continue representing Carroll and expects her other clients to follow her to Kaplan Martin. She remains open to collaborating with Hecker Fink as co-counsel.
Kaplan first rose to prominence in 2013 after successfully challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. She left Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a major US law firm, in 2017 to establish her own firm, eventually forming Kaplan Hecker & Fink.
Among Kaplan's notable cases, her firm secured a US$ 26 million verdict in 2021 against the leaders of a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Earlier that year, Kaplan resigned as chair of the board of Time's Up, an anti-bias and harassment group, after controversy over her involvement in responding to sexual harassment claims against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Investigators found that Kaplan and Time's Up had signed off on a draft letter to counter an ex-Cuomo aide's claims, although the letter was never published. Kaplan maintained that she had made it clear the response should not shame the accuser and had called for Cuomo’s resignation.