The selective outrage of Debra Katz

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“If a woman came to me with a similar fact pattern, that is someone in the company above her propositioned her but only once and she suffered no tangible job detriment,” Katz said. “I would probably tell her that I’m sorry, it’s unfair, but you don’t have a case.” In a segment on CNN’s “Talkback Live” in 1998, Katz said Jones’s suit was “very, very, very weak.” “She’s alleged one incident that took place in a hotel room that, by her own testimony, lasted 10 to 12 minutes. She suffered no repercussions in the workplace,” she said, according to CNN transcripts.

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‘This is not a Harvey Weinstein situation,’ said Debra Katz, a civil rights lawyer who handles sexual harassment cases. ‘Harvey Weinstein was a serial predator who used his power to put women in very vulnerable situations. He abused that power by sexually assaulting women. That’s not what this is.’ Ms. Katz also drew a distinction between Mr. Franken’s role as a comedian and that of a senator. ‘Context is relevant,’ she said. ‘He did not do this as a member of the U.S. Senate. He did this in his capacity of someone who was still functioning as an entertainer.’

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