David E. Gottlieb

David E. Gottlieb is a Partner at Wigdor LLP and is an aggressive and zealous advocate for employees who have been subjected to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. Mr. Gottlieb has represented thousands of employees in individual, multi-plaintiff, collective and class action litigation before a wide array of federal and state trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies, and arbitral forums.

Publicity

Mr. Gottlieb has handled numerous high-profile matters that have garnered significant media attention. Mr. Gottlieb and his cases have been featured on CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Fortune Magazine, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, Bloomberg, The New York Law Journal, Law360 and TMZ, amongst many others.

Experience and Types of Cases

Mr. Gottlieb’s cases have touched virtually every professional industry including: banking, finance, hospitality, retail, advertising, manufacturing, transportation, fashion, education, government, communications, architecture, sports and media.

Sexual Harassment

• Represented female sexual assault and harassment victim at large retailer which resulted in a judgment in her favor;
• Represented female sexual harassment victim at large international media publication;
• Represented victim of sexual assault by well-known journalist;
• Represented female sexual assault and harassment victim at large food manufacturer who was terminated following her complaints of misconduct;
• Representation of five plaintiffs in connection with high-profile gender discrimination and disparate impact matter against major worldwide financial services firm;
• Represented numerous female executives, managing directors, directors, vice presidents and analysts at numerous banks throughout the world with claims of sexual harassment, hostile work environment, glass-ceilings, failure-to-promote and unlawful termination;
• Represented transgender woman in sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims against one of the country’s largest retailers;

Discrimination and Retaliation Cases

• Represented numerous store detectives in a class action lawsuit against pharmacy giant CVS alleging that they were directed to engage in racial profiling and discrimination against customers in New York;
• Represented numerous executive assistants to male financial professionals alleging a wide range of sexual misconduct and harassment, followed by retaliation;
• Represented several employees with claims against major coffee retailer, ranging from disability discrimination to sexual harassment and retaliation;
• Represented a former editor in a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against major media publication;
• Represented domestic workers for high-worth families alleging discrimination and retaliation;
• Represented multiple former employees of a New York medical facility alleging sexual harassment, disability discrimination and retaliation;
• Represented an executive of a New York manufacturing company in a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and retaliation against the company’s President and CEO;
• Represented multiple employees in pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuits against Tribeca-based architecture firm Despont Studios.

Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits

Mr. Gottlieb also has extensive experience representing employees in class actions alleging unlawful wage practices. In particular, he has successfully litigated wage and hour class actions against numerous restaurant and hospitality industry employers.

• Lead counsel in a class action alleging federal and state wage and hour violations against Domino’s Pizza franchises across New York and Connecticut;
• Lead counsel in a class action on behalf of home loan officers in a lawsuit alleging wage and hour violations against one of the largest banks in the world;
• Represented numerous taxi and limousine drivers in both class action and individual wage and hour actions;
• Lead counsel in a class action alleging wage and hour violations against renowned restaurant Tao;
• Lead counsel in a class action alleging wage and hour violations against New York City nightclub Lavo;
• Lead counsel in a class action alleging wage and hour violations on behalf of the service staff at upscale Chinese restaurant Phillippe;
• Lead counsel in a class action alleging federal and state wage and hour violations against Michelin-starred chef David Bouley and his signature restaurant, Bouley;
• Lead counsel in a class action alleging federal and state wage and hour violations on behalf of service employees at iconic Theatre-district restaurant Café Un Deux Troix;
• Lead counsel in a class action against Real Housewife-owned restaurant Angelo’s of Mulberry Street;
• Lead counsel in a class action against New York City hotspot 230 Fifth alleging numerous wage and hour violations;
• Lead counsel in a class action against the De Seversky Mansion at the New York Institute of Technology, alleging improper collection of tips;
• Lead counsel in class action against New York City landmark P.J. Clarke’s alleging violations of wage and hour laws.

Notable Outcomes

The following are samples of Mr. Gottlieb’s notable results:

• Represented a class of home loan officers who alleged failure to pay overtime and other wage violations, which was resolved for over $4,500,000;
• Represented a class of limousine drivers who alleged misclassification as independent contractors, unlawful tip retention and numerous other wage violations, which was resolved for $3,500,000;
• Represented a woman who was sexually assaulted by her supervisor leading to her constructive discharge, which resulted in a judgment of approximately $2,000,000;
• Represented a class of service employees at the de Seversky Mansion at the New York Institute of Technology alleging unlawful tip retention, which was resolved for $1,625,000;
• Represented a class of servers and bartenders in a class action sexual harassment and wage-and-hour dispute, which settled for an aggregate total of $1,800,000;
• Represented a collective of employees against one of the largest architectural firms in the world, alleging an array of unlawful wage practices, resulting in payment in excess of $1,500,000;

Additional and Pro Bono Representation

Mr. Gottlieb has also acted as the pro bono general legal counsel for a prominent New York City-based LGBTQ advocacy organization. Mr. Gottlieb previously worked for The Innocence Project, a nationally recognized organization devoted to the exoneration of wrongfully convicted inmates. Among other accomplishments, Mr. Gottlieb was involved in the matter of Williams v. Carter, No. 03-cv-1067 (S.D. Ind. 2003), wherein a death row inmate received an eleventh-hour stay of execution and ultimately clemency on account of exculpatory DNA evidence.