Jennifer Rust Murray | Member

Professional Experience

Ms. Murray concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation with a focus on prosecuting collective and class actions, has been involved in virtually every class and collective action prosecuted by the firm. Ms. Murray is an expert in all aspects of the class action process, including investigation of class allegations, class certification, trial preparation, and negotiation and settlement. Ms. Murray has also represented individual clients in a wide variety of commercial actions, including breach of contract, land use, employment discrimination, personal injury and debtor/creditor disputes.

Prior to founding TMDW, Ms. Murray served as an associate at Tousley Brain Stephens, PLLC and an extern at the Washington State Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. Ms. Murray is licensed to practice in both Washington and Oregon.

Professional Recognition

• “Rising Star” Washington Law & Politics Magazine (2011)
• “Rising Star” Washington Law & Politics Magazine (2012)

Education

• Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington (1990) - cum laude - B.A., awarded with Honors in Philosophy
• Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (1996) - Ph.D.
• University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (2005) - J.D.
  • Notes and Comments Editor, Washington Law Review
  • Vivian Carkeek Award for the best student contribution to the Washington Law Review
  • CALI “Excellence for the Future Award” for excellence in the study of American Public School Law, Spring 2004
  • American Bankruptcy Institute Award for top bankruptcy student in 2005

Sample Achievements

Wage and Hour Class & Collective Actions

• Khadera v. ABM Industries, Inc. - (W.D. Wash.) – Represents a class of 337 janitors who allege their employer failed to pay them for all hours work and failed to provide them with rest and meal breaks.
• Simpson v. ABM Industries, Inc - (King County Super. Ct.) – Represents a proposed class of approximately 7,000 janitors who allege their employer failed to pay them for all hours work and failed to provide them with rest and meal breaks.
• Newell v. Home Care of Washington, Inc. - (Spokane County Super. Ct.) – Represents a proposed class of home health aides who allege their employer failed to pay them overtime compensation and permitted them to work off the clock.
• Ginsburg v. Comcast Cable Communications Mgt. LLC - (W.D. Wash.) – Represents a proposed class of call center employees who allege their employer failed to pay them for all hours worked.
• Lettic v. Spectrum Glass Co., Inc. - (King County Super. Ct.) – Represented a certified class of 300 current and former employees who allege wage and hour violations regarding time shaving practices and inadequate meal and rest breaks and reached favorable settlement on their behalf.
• Reese v. Dycom, Inc. - (W.D. Wash.) – Represented a class of over 1,700 current and former employees in Washington and Oregon who alleged wage and hour violations and obtained a $1.4 million settlement on behalf of the Class.
• Telecommunications Company Class Action - (W.D. Wash.) – Negotiated settlement on behalf of hourly paid employees of a major telecommunications company who alleged that their employer failed to provide them with meal and rest breaks, did not pay them for all hours worked, and improperly deducted uniform and tool expenses.
• Barnett v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. - (Wash. Super. Ct.) – Member of trial team for a class of 80,000 current and former Wal-Mart employees alleging violations of Washington’s wage and hour laws and Consumer Protection Act.
• Class and Collective Action Against International Telecommunications Company - (W.D. Wash.) – Represented nation-wide class of over 300 employees who were deprived of overtime pay and worked off the clock. Representation resulted in a seven-figure settlement and an average award of over $4000 per class member.
• Godfrey v. Chelan County Public Utility District - (E.D. Wash. 2008) — Represented class of 81 employees who worked off the clock and without pay in order to complete shift turnovers for Chelan PUD (settlement pending). Assisted lead class counsel with research, briefing, and trial strategy. Certification decision available on Westlaw at 2007 WL 2327582.

Consumer Class Actions

• Boucher v. First American Title Ins. Co. - (W.D. Wash.) – Represents a proposed class of title insurance purchasers who allege they were overcharged for title insurance.
• Lewis v. First American Title Ins. Co. - (D. Idaho) – Co-lead counsel in a certified class action involving title insurance purchasers who allege they were overcharged for title insurance.
• Ramirez v. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. - (D. Ariz.) – Co-lead counsel in a certified class action involving title insurance purchasers who allege they were overcharged for title insurance.
• Arthur v. Sallie Mae - Represents consumers who received automated, pre-recorded phone calls on their personal cell phones in violation of the TCPA and achieved preliminary approval of settlement on their behalf.
• Smith v. Legal Helpers Dispute Resolution - Represents a proposed class of consumers who allege they were charged excessive fees in violation of Washington’s Debt Adjusting Act.
• Cooper, et al. v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - (L.A. County Super. Ct) – Represented owners of 2006–2010 Honda Civics containing defective visors which cause them to split and dangle in the face of drivers and passengers and successfully achieved settlement on their behalf.
• Milligan, et al. v. Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. - (N.D. Cal.) – Represented owners of 2001 – 2003 Toyota RAV4s containing defective Electronic Computer Modules (“ECM”) which cause harsh shifting conditions and permanent damage to the transmissions and successfully achieved settlement on their behalf.

Sex Abuse & Discrimination Actions

• Conger v. Northwest Massage. - (King County Super. Ct.) – Represented and successfully settled claims of female patients who were sexually harassed and abused by a massage therapist.
• Taber et al. v. OPT PLLC - (Clark County Super. Ct.) – Represented a group of approximately 60 female patients who were sexually harassed and abused by a physical therapist and successfully settled their claims.
• Chavez v. Group Health - (Pierce County Super. Ct.) – Represented and successfully settled claims of female patients who were sexually harassed and abused by a physician.

Articles & Publications

• Co-author, Discrimination in Public Accommodation, WSAJ Civil Rights Deskbook, 2011.
• Jennifer Murray, Proving Cause in Fact Under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act: The Case for a Rebuttable Presumption of Reliance, 80 Wash. L. Rev. 245 (2005) cited favorably in Mullen v. Phys. Inc., 2005 WL 3105630, * 7 (Wash. App. Nov 21, 2005).

Jennifer R. Murray

visit superlawyers.com