Richard Cohen steps down amid allegations that founder Morris Dees, who was fired last week, mistreated and harassed staff

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The president of the Southern Poverty Law Center will step down, becoming the latest high-profile departure from a watchdog organization best known for its work monitoring extremist groups.

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Last week, the SPLC fired founder and prominent civil rights attorney Morris Dees for unspecified reasons.

Richard Cohen, who joined the group in the 1980s and became one of its most prominent figures, wrote in an email to staff: “Whatever problems exist at the SPLC happened on my watch, so I take responsibility for them.”

In October, Cohen approached the SPLC board about finding a “new generation” of leadership. He wrote on Friday that he was speeding up that timeframe in light of recent events, and asked the board to immediately begin the search for an interim president, “in order to give the organization the best chance to heal”.

He also asked staff for patience as the organization’s workplace environment is reviewed.

The SPLC did not elaborate on the reasons behind Dees’ departure. In a statement, Cohen only said the organization is “committed to ensuring that the conduct of our staff reflects the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world”.

Last week the Alabama Political Reporter reported that Dees’ departure was prompted by a staff revolt over the alleged mistreatment of non-white and female staff members.

According to the Reporter, an internal email circulated after Dees left “alleged multiple instances of sexual harassment by Dees, and that reports of his conduct were ignored or covered up by SPLC leadership.”

Dees denied any wrongdoing.

The group this week announced it hired Tina Tchen to review its workplace practices. Tchen was chief of staff to the former first lady Michelle Obama and now works for a Chicago law firm focusing on workplace issues including gender and racial equity and sexual harassment.

Cohen asked SPLC staff to let the “process play out before jumping to conclusions”.

“We’re going through a difficult period right now, and I know that we’ll emerge stronger at the end of the process that we’ve launched with Tina Tchen,” he wrote.

Dees founded the Montgomery, Alabama-based law center with a partner in 1971, as a watchdog for minorities and the underprivileged. A decade later he won a $7m judgment against the United Klans of America on behalf of Beulah Mae Donald, whose son was murdered by KKK members in Mobile.

The organization has sometimes been criticized for its aggressive fundraising tactics. In 2017, tax records show, the organization had some $450m in assets.

Last year, it agreed to pay a $3.4m settlement after wrongly labeling the counter-extremist thinktank Quilliam, and its founder Maajid Nawaz, as extremists.