PROTESTS ERUPT FOLLOWING MOBILE ECOSYSTEM FORUM’S EXCLUSION OF PROMINENT FEMALE ATTORNEY ON INTERNATIONAL WOMAN’S DAY

MEF President Dario Betti has the look of a man who has no idea what just hit him…

A large group of angry protestors held signs and chanted “We stand with Puja” and “Stop excluding women” outside the Mobile Ecosystem Forum’s Leadership Forum in Miami, Florida today.

The group was angry over the apparent underrepresentation of women on panels and webinars promoted by MEF—an international trade group focused on telecom connectivity— and the disturbing behavior of MEF’s president Dario Betti in kicking a prominent female attorney off of a panel at the event with little notice and no explanation on International Woman’s Day.

A review of MEF’s website photos show smiling pictures of all male board members. Numerous promotions for webinars featuring only men.  And photograph after photograph of numerous men with only a single—seemingly “token”—female within the bunch.

Protestors demanded the ouster of MEF President Dario Betti

The protestors were particularly angry over an email sent by Betti to Troutman Amin, LLP partner Puja J. Amin—a prominent attorney and highly-sought after legal speaker— on International Woman’s Day. After preparing for weeks to travel across the nation to speak at the event, Amin was suddenly kicked off the panel with no explanation—in a move many saw as deliberately targeting her due to sexism.

This suspicion was seemingly confirmed by Betti’s final message ending “Happy International Woman’s Day to you too!”

Betti’s apparent awareness that he had kicked Puja off the panel on International Woman’s day—and his seeming delight to have done so—was the last straw for protestors and Amin’s partner, Eric J. Troutman (better known as the Czar in legal circles).

Protestors angry at the seeming betrayal by Kevin Rupy who went forward with panel despite Puja’s mistreatment.

“This guy obviously has a screw loose. He seems to get off on exercising power over strong women and trying to demoralize them. Making them feel small.” The Czar said. “As soon as I started looking into MEF, the chauvinism became crystal clear. This is a boy’s club. They were fine with a younger blonde lawyer being on the panel—someone with a more limited reputation who might be easier to control or prey upon—but there was no place for an acclaimed female speaker like Puja to grace their stage.”

Troutman Amin, LLP lawyer Jenniffer Cabrera and her daughters attended the protest.

“It was a wonderful thing to see.” Said attorney Jenniffer Cabrera who attended the protest with her two young daughters. “I wanted my daughters to see that there are people in this world that will fight for their right to be treated with equal dignity to male professionals. It was really incredibly meaningful.”

Initially the Firm was just looking for an apology that could have avoided the need for any protests—“MEF had consumed some time and cost us some money. We just wanted an apology and maybe a small reimbursement for our investment here. But the longer time went on with these guys refusing to respond to us the more the anger grew.” Said the Czar. “And they severely underestimated the anger people felt over their disrespectful behavior. Queenie has a following—a massive one. And they were going to be heard. The MEF has simply gone too far this time.”

Noting that the time for an apology had come and gone, the Czar is now calling for new leadership at MEF.

“MEF has crossed the rubicon by treating Puja this way.” The Czar concludes. “They don’t get to go back and have it the way they had it before. The gigs up. It is definitely time for new leadership, and we are going to keep the pressure up until it happens.”