Biography

Ruby Kumar-Thompson is an experienced attorney who excels in labor and employment law as a partner in the litigation practice group at Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs. Throughout her legal career, she has devoted herself to representing public entities, particularly municipalities and school districts located in New Jersey. Ruby currently serves as Special Labor and Employment Counsel for the Township of Montclair.

Ruby is a highly active member of the legal community, currently serving as a member of the New Jersey Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section and the Bergen County Women Lawyers Association. She is also a speaker in her field, having spoken at the New Jersey State Bar Association’s “Rising Tide of Sexual Harassment” seminar in 2018, and the ICLE-sponsored “Dynamics of an Employment Mediation” seminar in 2017. She also served as Alternate Prosecutor for Cresskill Borough Municipal Court in 2014, and was a judge for the Bergen County Mock Trial Competition from 2008-2011 and 2013. Additionally, she gained valuable experience as an intern for the Honorable Judge Joseph P. Mecca, J.S.C in 2007.

Ruby has a notable record of success in briefing and arguing cases, including:

• Hilsenrath v. School District of the Chathams, 500 F.Supp.3d 272 (D.N.J. 2020), vacated and remanded (for reconsideration in light of Kennedy v. Bremerton Sch. Dist., 142 S.Ct. 2407 (June 27, 2022), No. 20-3474 (3d Cir. July 20, 2022)
• Pagan v. Rivera, Docket No. A 3096-19, 2021 WL 1166046 (App. Div. March 29, 2021)
• Mary Borrello, et al. v. City of Elizabeth Board of Education, Docket No. A-3151-14T4 (App. Div., August 16, 2016)
• NAACP v. North Regional Fire & Rescue, 665 F.3d 464 (D.N.J. 2011), aff’d, 665 F.3d 464 (3d Cir. 2011), cert. den. 567 U.S. 906 (June 11, 2012)
• Bustamante v. Borough of Paramus, et. al., 413 N.J. Super. 276 (App. Div. 2010)
• Groslinger v. Township of Wyckoff, Docket No. A-5861-07T2, certif. denied, 201 N.J. 497 (2010)
• Whesper v. Police Officer Tulli, et al., Docket No. A-2913-06T2, certif. denied, 195 N.J. 520 (2009).

This list of notable cases showcases her skills as a litigator and her ability to achieve successful outcomes for her clients.