Melissa Fundora Murphy

Melissa Fundora Murphy
Partner
Business Litigation

Biography

Melissa Murphy concentrates her practice in the area of complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on class actions involving consumer fraud, mass torts and products liability. Melissa’s experience includes counseling and defending clients in:

  • Consumer fraud class action litigation, including false advertising and unfair trade practices under California's consumer protection statutes (CLRA, UCL and FAL); Florida’s consumer protection statute (FDUTPA); and New York’s consumer protection statutes (NY GBL 349 and 350)
  • Multidistrict litigation (“MDL”)
  • Mass tort litigation
  • Products liability
  • Commercial contract disputes and business torts
  • Anti-Terrorism Act litigation
  • Alien Tort Claims Act litigation
  • Torture Victim Protection Act litigation

Melissa represents clients in a broad range of industry sectors, including consumer-facing retailers, food and beverage companies, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, construction and real estate developers, and telecommunications carriers. Melissa’s current representative matters include defending a global eyewear company in putative class actions brought in California, New York, and Florida alleging false advertising and consumer fraud; defending a multinational food producer and distributor in multidistrict litigation involving claims under Colombian tort law and the TVPA; and defending a major branded and generic drug manufacturer in class action multidistrict litigation involving product liability claims related to the use of opioids.

In 2018, Melissa was selected by a panel of judges for The Legal Intelligencer and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly as one of Pennsylvania’s “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” a recognition given to only 30 lawyers throughout Pennsylvania under the age of 40 as the future leaders of the legal community.

Melissa also handles a number of pro bono cases on behalf of indigent clients. In 2018, she was recognized by Blank Rome with its Pro Bono Hero award for her work representing a juvenile who had been unconstitutionally sentenced to life without parole. She has also been named to the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania’s Pro Bono Roll of Honor.

Melissa is also a member of Blank Rome’s Recruiting and Retention Committee and the firm’s Well-Being Committee. She previously served on the firm’s Associates Committee.

During law school, Melissa served as a staff member on the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal and was a teaching assistant in Torts. She was recognized for excellence in oral advocacy in the Legal Research and Writing program, and received the Distinguished Class Performance and Outstanding Oral Argument awards in Trial Advocacy.

Experience

  • Trial Counsel for Chiquita Brands International, Inc., in Anti-Terrorism cases centralized in the S.D. Fla. for MDL proceedings.
  • Trial Counsel for Chiquita Brands International, Inc., in Alien Tort litigation involving more than 7,500 Plaintiffs centralized in the S.D. Fla. for MDL proceedings involving wrongful death claims under Colombian common law.
  • Trial Counsel for a global eyewear company in putative class actions brought in California, New York, and Florida alleging false advertising and consumer fraud.
  • National litigation counsel for a major branded and generic drug manufacturer for product liability claims related to the use of opioids, including personal injury and wrongful death claims consolidated in the In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL 2804.
  • National litigation counsel for a major generic drug manufacturer for claims related to ranitidine, including claims consolidated in the In re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation MDL 2924.
  • Counsel in Anti-Terrorism Act litigation stemming from contracting work in Afghanistan.
  • Counsel in concussion litigation arising out of college athletic programs.
  • Counsel for national telecommunications company in wireless site and colocation leasing disputes across the country.

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

  • 2023–2025, Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, listed in Best Lawyers in America©
  • 2018, “Lawyers on the Fast Track,” listed in The Legal Intelligencer

Credentials

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court - New Jersey

Education

  • Duke University, BA
  • Temple University Beasley School of Law, JD
Languages
  • Spanish

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

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