Jennifer Rusie

Jennifer Rusie is a principal and serves as the litigation manager of the Nashville, Tennessee, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She focuses her practice on disability access, employment litigation, and advice and counsel. 

Jennifer has handled hundreds of disability access matters for higher education, hospitality, retail, and other public-facing clients throughout the country.  These matters, which range from single-plaintiff demand letters to class-actions lawsuits, involve architectural barriers, website and mobile app accessibility, disclosures of accessible features at hotels, and Braille gift cards. She is also well-versed in assisting clients with evaluating and remediating barriers to access in both the physical and digital realms, and she regularly advises clients on accessibility policies and procedures.

Jennifer also focuses her practice on employment litigation, with a particular emphasis on sexual harassment and discrimination claims.  Jennifer is a strong advocate for her clients in and out of the courtroom.  One example of Jennifer’s litigation experience is her jury trial against the EEOC in the MDTN in a case involving the sexual harassment of three minor employees at a retail store.

Clients frequently turn to Jennifer for advice on all aspects of the employer / employee relationship, and she works closely with them to devise strategies that align with their unique culture and goals. When necessary, she also defends them in court, up to and including arbitration or trial.

Representative Experience

• Lead counsel in multi-plaintiff racial hostile work environment trial against a national hotel chain
• Counsel in all aspects of litigation, including trial, against the EEOC involving claims of statutory rape of a minor at a national retailer
• Represent public accommodations in lawsuits and pre-litigation disputes regarding website accessibility and hotel disclosures and advise on website remediation
• Conduct inspections of nationwide retailers for compliance with Title III of ADA
• Represent colleges and universities in responding to OCR complaints
• Lead counsel in various other single-plaintiff employment discrimination cases in federal and state court
• Obtained victory at Supreme Court of Tennessee enforcing arbitration agreement

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, "Litigation - Labor and Employment" (2018-present)
•  Nashville Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Super Lawyers®, "Rising Stars" (2017), "Super Lawyers" (2018-2020)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• Ensworth Parent Association, Grade Coordinator
• The Nashville Food Project, Board Member

Speeches

• "The State of ADA in 2020: A Guide to Online Accessibility Lawsuits amid the Pandemic," Usablenet webinar (October 2020) (presenter)