Employment Law Expertise

Our Employment Law Practice

Richard J. Murray is an experienced Employment Law Trial Attorney, representing employees in discrimination, sexual harassment, disability and medical leave, and whistleblower cases. Having more than 35 years experience in litigation, he has litigated and tried cases against large corporations, and smaller businesses and municipalities and police departments. He has won very substantial settlements and verdicts for his clients, totaling many millions of dollars. He has also successfully negotiated additional compensation in severance agreements for many clients.

He is among the very few trial Attorneys who are Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. To become Certified, you must pass a character and fitness review, have substantial trial experience, have positive references from Judges and adversaries, and pass a very rigorous exam. You also must take many continuing education courses each year.

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Rich is a longtime member of the National Employment Lawyers Association - New Jersey (NELA-NJ) and the National Employment Lawyers Association.  He has served for a number of years on NELA-NJ's Board of Directors and as Co-Chair of the Programming Committee, making many presentations to employment lawyers on trial practice and employment law. 

He has also spoken on trial practice and employment law at seminars conducted by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the trial lawyers association, the New Jersey Association for Justice.

Most importantly, he always personally handles his client's cases.

The Firm represents employees in a number of areas, including the following:

  • Discrimination claims under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 et seq. (gender, ethnic, disability, pregnancy, age and other types of illegal discrimination)

  • Sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims

  • Retaliation claims for raising issues of discrimination

  • Whistleblower claims under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act, (CEPA), N.J.S.A. 34:19-1, et. seq.

  • Workers Compensation retaliation claims

  • Family and medical leave claims

  • Negotiation of Severance Agreements

  • Non-Compete Agreements and Restrictive Covenants

Some of the Substantial Awards for Clients

Some cases where Rich Murray won substantial awards through settlements or verdicts for his clients include:

  • Wrongful termination claim and defamation claim for a President and CEO against a NASDAQ-listed company

  • Retaliation claim for a female police officer for retaliation for raising a gender discrimination claim against a police department and for a hostile work environment

  • "Whistleblower" claim for a safety director against a national electric company working on a major public project

  • Pregnancy discrimination claim against international pharmaceutical company

  • "Whistleblower" claim by a senior staff attorney against a major financial institution

  • Sex discrimination and retaliation claim by high level female executive against an international oil company

  • Sexual harassment claim by waitress against a country club

  • "Whistleblower" claim by driver against a national propane company for safety violations

  • Racial discrimination claim by a senior manager against major defense contractor

  • Substantial buy-out for executive on a disability accommodation claim from an international management consulting company

  • "Whistleblower" claim by driver against major beverage company for OSHA violations

  • Preservation of employment for an employee with a disability whose employer, a medical testing company, was preparing to terminate her employment

  • Retaliatory discharge claim of municipal employee with a disability and who had filed a Workers Compensation claim

  • Preservation of employment of a nurse with a disability who worked for a hospital

Some Recent Employment Verdicts

On March 14, 2012, after a three and a half week trial, a nine-member jury unanimously entered a judgment in Hudson County Superior Court in favor of Rich Murray's client on a ethnic discrimination claim in the sum of $899,833. The post-trial judgment resulted in a total award to the client in excess of $1,100,000 in damages.

On December 20, 2016, after an eight and a half week trial, a Morris County jury found in favor of Rich's client, a female police officer,  that Randolph Township had violated the Law Against Discrimination. As a result of the trial and verdict, the police officer received back pay, emotional harm damages and reimbursement of costs totaling more than $180,000.  The officer continues to work in her Department, free of retaliation.

On February 26, 2019, after a nine week trial, a Morris County jury found in favor of Rich’s client, an Executive Director at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, that her employer had violated the Conscientious Employee Protection Act and awarded her a net verdict totaling $1,470,679. Rich was lead Trial Co-Counsel for the trial with Jay Webber of Webber McGill.