La Ruby May Fighting for Justice in Courts and Community
| Attorney. Constituent services director. Real estate developer. Washington, DC, Ward 8 councilmember. A single, shining thread runs through all the roles LaRuby May has tackled in her career: a tireless drive for justice and raising the quality of life for the poor and the disenfranchised. A native Floridian who moved to Washington, DC, in 2002, May has promoted significant, positive change through advocacy wherever she has served. Advocating for victims of corporate malfeasance LaRuby May is managing partner at May Lightfoot, PLLC, located in Washington, D.C. and serving clients in DC and Maryland. Notably, it is the only personal injury law firm in DC’s Ward 8. She is involved in the firm’s personal injury, workers compensation, civil rights and mass torts practice areas, and has represented individuals and estates ranging from accidents to wrongful death. May is also involved in legal advocacy around issues that impact the community. May served as co-counsel in a $52 million dollar settlement agreement reached with Monsanto Corporation, alleging it knowingly sold toxic products, misled consumers and regulators to maximize profits, and damaged the District’s natural resources. This was a significant work in obtaining costs and other damages associated with cleaning up the Anacostia River, and returning the River to its historic role as a local and national treasure. A portion of these funds will be dedicated to environmental clean-up of District waterways. In May 2020, May Lightfoot was appointed to the Leadership Development Committee for the Zantac MDL. Providing health care services to the underserved Currently, May serves as chair of the board of directors of United Medical Center, the only public hospital in DC. In this role, she continues to serve residents through a comprehensive approach of oversight in the delivery of health care services for the District’s poorest and most vulnerable residents. How LaRuby Ray Is Helping Curbing violence in Ward 8 LaRuby May is a former Democratic member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward 8, whose residents remain caught in a loop of poverty, unemployment, violence, and lack of access to basic human services. Compared to other District wards, residents of Ward 8 are about 11% less likely to work in the city’s labor force. The median income is 38% lower in Ward 8, as compared to other District wards. The percent of families in poverty is almost twice as high in Ward 8, as compared to the District overall. Violence in Ward 8 proved to be one of the biggest issues May confronted in her first term. She discovered that no crime prevention program existed in her ward, that youth at risk of becoming involved in crime rarely participated in programs to help them, and neighborhood public safety meetings were so poorly attended that, she said, “it’s not even worth having a meeting because people are not involved.” To respond to the sharp increase in violence, May began holding “pop-up” events in different neighborhoods of her ward once a week during the DC Council recess. Each pop-up had May on-site meeting with residents, free food, and representatives from city government agencies and job placement agencies to assist residents in obtaining social services, medical care, or employment assistance. Preparing adults for higher education In 2012, May co-founded the Community College Preparatory Academy, the first adult charter school in Ward 8, and served as the founding chairperson of its board of trustees. Examining the plight of children of imprisoned parents May also authored a successful bill requiring the city to study the impact on children when a parent is imprisoned and provide recommendations to the city on how to help these children. Increasing and improving police training After a DC special education teacher died while in the custody of security guards at an apartment building, May co-sponsored McDuffie’s bill to increase “special police” training to 24 hours from 16; require additional training in emergency procedures, interactions with tourists, and responses to terrorism to 32 hours from 24 hours; and require new training on how to de-escalate conflict, how to interact with people with disabilities or mental health problems, and how to avoid biased policing. One to watch We salute you, LaRuby May, for your unwavering efforts on behalf of the poor, the underserved, and those injured by corporate greed. We look forward to hearing about more of your accomplishments in the courtroom and the community. At The Mass Tort Institute, we’re dedicated to providing education, training, and networking opportunities for those advocating on behalf of mass tort victims. Sign up for the MTI Memo, our monthly newsletter for the latest in the mass tort industry at https://themasstortinstitute.activehosted.com/f/3. Written by Wendy Porter Lynn About the Author Wendy Porter Lynn’s desire to make the world a better place sent her running years ago from the oil and gas industry into a career in nonprofits. She relishes any chance to help slay a corporate dragon that is harming and exploiting people. Originally from New England, she has studied fine arts and sociology, written poetry, traveled abroad, and consumed way too much coffee. She lives in Houston with her wonderful daughter and a moody cat. |
The Mass Tort Institute is a consortium of industry leaders dedicated to providing education, training, and networking opportunities for those advocating on behalf of mass tort victims.
