Murielle Steven Walsh is an advocate for equal rights and a mentor to women in the early stages of their careers. Murielle tackles challenging cases to shift the balance of power within and beyond the corporate world.
In September 2024, Murielle secured a $70 million settlement with defendants (pending court approval) in a case she led against Wynn Resorts, Ltd. Plaintiffs allege a decades-long pattern of sexual abuse and harassment by the company’s founder and former CEO, Stephen Wynn, that was tacitly permitted and eventually covered up by defendants. Murielle linked executive malfeasance to significant shareholder harm, presenting a compelling legal case that drove this historic settlement. It is one of the largest recoveries ever achieved in a Rule 10b-5 securities class action focused solely on #MeToo allegations. In vigorously pursuing this case, Murielle has paved a viable path for addressing #MeToo and other ESG-related issues through securities litigation.
Murielle was Lead Counsel in In re Livent Noteholders’ Securities Litigation, a securities class action arising from the company’s years-long accounting fraud of “cooking the books.” After securing substantial settlements from the company’s auditing firm, outside directors, and underwriter, Murielle continued to litigate the action against the two top executives, who are Canadian nationals. Murielle won a $36 million judgment against these executives at the summary judgment stage. This decision is a rare example of plaintiffs winning on all elements, including damages at summary judgment.
In EBC I Inc. v. Goldman Sachs & Co., Murielle obtained a landmark ruling from the New York State Court of Appeals, in which the court allowed a claim for breach of fiduciary duty to proceed against Goldman Sachs for alleged wrongdoing in connection with its underwriting of the initial public offering of eToys, Inc. in 1999. This marked the first time that a higher court in New York recognized that underwriters could owe fiduciary duties to issuers.
Murielle serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Monmouth County, New Jersey, which supports children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. She has also served on the Honorary Steering Committee of Equal Rights Advocates (ERA). Murielle represented, pro bono, a Togolese native in his political asylum application, securing his safety in the United States after he fled his country due to government persecution.
Murielle serves on Pomerantz’s Management Committee and its Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Committee.
Murielle’s numerous awards include Law360: 2024 Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar; National Law Journal: 2023 Plaintiffs’ Attorney Trailblazer; New York Law Journal: 2023 Plaintiffs’ Attorney Trailblazer; Lawdragon: Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers; Benchmark Litigation: 2023 and 2024 Top 250 Women in Litigation.
Updated Oct 2024
