For Time’s Up co-founder Robbie Kaplan, the movement sprung from a series of changes to the law which dissuaded attorneys from taking on sexual harassment cases.
“One, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Walmart case, which really limited class actions in this area,” she explained in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday, International Women’s Day. “Two, the use of arbitration clauses, which don’t allow employees to go to court.”
And finally, the standard for a hostile work environment, “which basically requires employees to show that there was severe, pervasive, repeated conduct, and that’s often a high standard to meet.”
All these factors together kept many cases out of the court system, especially for women who were not in high paying jobs or who did not have what she calls “embarrassment cases,” those that would shame wealthy or high-profile individuals.
And that’s exactly what her Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund hopes to change.
“The real goal...was to create a market incentive so that lawyers would want to bring those cases.”
Naturally, the support of celebrities from Reese Witherspoon to Shonda Rhimes helps the cause.
“Already what’s happened is that they’ve changed the dynamic and changed the culture,” said Kaplan.
She pointed to a recent example where a woman who worked at a warehouse in Yonkers, New York, received $11.7 million in punitive damages in her sexual harassment lawsuit.
“We haven’t seen anything like that ever,” said Kaplan. “That’s a direct result of Time’s Up and #MeToo.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/times-up-co-founder-on-the-progress-of-womens-rights).
The London Zoo had its annual weigh-in to keep records of animals there updated.
Police are warning about a wild monkey that's on the loose in Florida.
Ahead of National Dog Day on Saturday, Alina Hauptman from Best Friends Animal Society joined Cheddar News to discuss adopting a dog from a shelter and what the organization is doing to help pets that have survived the Maui fires.
Jack Dunn, bartender at Great Jones Distilling Co. in Manhattan, spoke with Cheddar News about the history of the whiskey sour and the process involved in making it.
Today is National Whiskey Sour Day and Cheddar News is celebrating! Michelle Castillo spoke with Celina Perez, head distiller at Great Jones Distilling Co. in Manhattan, to discuss how the business got started with a state-of-the-art operation and the process involved in making their fine whiskey drinks.
After decades in the ring, a Connecticut man is celebrating after obtaining his first boxing title, thanks to his wife who had a personal battle of her own and guided him.
A Jersey Shore man has painted sea shells -- nearly 500 of them -- to raise awareness around epilepsy that have traveled as far as Asia and Australia.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump are the most likely nominees for the 2024 presidential election, but you won't see many new books about either this fall. A Barnes & Noble official says there's “an exhaustion of interest" in political titles right now, even in books about Trump, Biden's immediate predecessor in the White House.
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte goes on sale Thursday in the U.S. and Canada, as it does each year when the nights start getting longer and the fall winds gather.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? This week we have a wacky combo of a bat mitzvah battle, Jake Paul, and a weird medieval podcast.
