Leslie E. Hurst
Contacts
Ms. Hurst is a co-founding partner of the firm. Previously, Ms. Hurst was a partner in the firm now known as Robbins Geller Rudman and Dowd, LLP, and an associate at Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach, LLP.
Ms. Hurst’s practice focuses on complex class action lawsuits and appeals, including federal multi-district litigation and California Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings, with an emphasis on consumer fraud and insurance cases under California’s consumer protection statutes.
Ms. Hurst works in a wide variety of practice areas, including areas representing plaintiffs with claims against:
- Life insurers for misrepresenting the terms of vanishing premium life insurance;
- Auto insurers for repairs with non-OEM parts, diminished value claims and improper collection of installment service charges;
- Financial institutions for a variety of conduct;
- Insurance companies for race-based discrimination in the sale of small value “industrial” or “burial” insurance policies;
- Consumer goods manufacturers for false and deceptive advertising;
- Real estate developers for fraud and false advertising;
- Improper collection and over collection of fees from residents by the City of Los Angeles.
Education
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, JD (1995)
- University of California, Berkeley, Master of Arts in Sociology
- University of San Diego, cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
Representative Cases
Some of the cases and settlements on which Ms. Hurst was instrumental include:
- Serochi v. Bosa Dev. (Cal. Super. Ct., San Diego Cnty.), ($16.75 million settlement to condominium purchasers for square footage misrepresentations by the developer)
- Chakhalyan v. City of Los Angeles (Cal. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cnty.), (providing full refunds of overcharges and a revamping of L.A. billing practices)
- Hartless v. Clorox Co., (S.D. Cal.) (nationwide settlement in excess of $10 million that provided 100% recovery of damages to class members)
- In re Enfamil LIPIL Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig. (S.D. Fla.) (nationwide settlement in excess of $8 million involving false advertising of infant formula)
- In re Skechers Toning Shoes Prods. Liab. Litig. (W.D. Ky.) (precedent-setting nationwide settlement of $45 million)
Ms. Hurst is also involved in the firm’s appellate practice. She has authored numerous appellate briefs and has argued in state and federal appellate courts. She successfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in Corvello v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA, (9th Cir.), before California’s Second District Court of Appeal in Goodman v. Wells Fargo Bank, NA, and before California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in Guerra v. San Diego Gas & Elec.
Leadership, Membership & Honors
- Ms. Hurst is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, Consumer Attorneys of California and the the American Association of Justice.
- Between 2003 and 2005, Ms. Hurst took a sabbatical from law and moved to Sri Lanka where she worked for CARE International as the Coordinator for Strategic Planning with an emphasis on development of CARE’s long-term strategic plan for the conflict-affected areas.
- Ms. Hurst is admitted in the state of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth and Ninth Circuits, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern Districts of California.