Douglas H. Wigdor

Referred to by the Financial Times as “America’s most prominent #Metoo lawyer,” Douglas H. Wigdor, routinely tries cases to verdict, has won numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and has consistently been recognized as the top employment litigator in the country. To date, his trial verdicts, arbitration awards and settlements have exceeded $1.5 billion.

Douglas is widely recognized as a tireless champion for victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, race discrimination and other workplace misconduct. A recent profile in Vanity Fair described Wigdor as "an adversary of famous men accused of sex crimes" and lauded his "crisp, equanimous manner." From Sean Combs and Garth Brooks to Harvey Weinstein and James Dolan, to Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the NFL, to the Grammys and Madison Square Garden, Douglas has been at the forefront of some of the most impactful sexual abuse and employment discrimination cases of the last two decades.

Named a Top 100 Hollywood Power Lawyer by The Hollywood Reporter and a Top Music Lawyer by Billboard, Douglas’s prolific legal career has been covered in profiles in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Independent (UK). He was also named to the first annual Forbes Top 200 Lawyers list. He has been referred to in these and other major news publications as one of the country’s most high-profile litigators.

He has testified before the UK Parliament and has appeared in a Netflix documentary about the sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss Kahn as well as in a CNN+/HBO docuseries in 2022 about Rupert Murdoch.

His “pursuit of decency, justice and high-dollar settlements in the #MeToo era has landed Douglas on the list of Law360’s Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar,” according to a profile recognizing him as one of the most influential plaintiffs’ lawyers in the U.S.

Douglas regularly writes for Forbes Diversity & Inclusion on newsworthy topics and can often be seen standing up for his clients in TV and radio interviews.

Notable clients include:

• Singer Casandra Ventura, in her sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs
• Jane Roe, a professional make-up artist and hair stylist, in her sexual assault and battery matter against country music star and two-time Grammy winner Garth Brooks
• Kellye Croft, a licensed massage therapist, in her sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein, and a myriad of corporate entities funded by Dolan, including some connected to music manager Irving Azoff
• Jim Trotter, renowned sports journalist, in his discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the NFL and NFL Media;
• Brian Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton in their historic race discrimination class action against the NFL;
• Actress Julia Ormond, in her sexual assault lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein which includes his employers Miramax & Disney, as well as talent agents CAA
• 10 alleged victims of sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein (including two women who testified at Weinstein’s criminal rape trial in New York);
• two women claiming sexual abuse by billionaire private equity executive Leon Black;
• the hotel maid in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case;
• rape victim in the Delhi Uber case that led to numerous executive resignations;
• courageous victim of a heinous sex crime at the hands of an Uber cab driver in India whose case led to numerous executive resignations;
• NBA All-Star Charles Oakley in an assault and battery lawsuit involving James Dolan and Madison Square Garden;
• former Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan in a sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation case in connection with the Grammy Awards;
• former chief of staff to ousted WeWork CEO in a pregnancy discrimination case
• multiple clients in the seminal “shop and frisk” cases;
• five award-winning female journalists at NY1 in an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications;
• over 20 employees at Fox News in their claims of sexual harassment, gender and race discrimination and retaliation;
• countless women in their gender discrimination and sexual harassment claims against their powerful employers.

In addition to representing clients, Douglas is an arbitrator, serving on the American Arbitration Association Employment Panel. Prior to founding Wigdor, Douglas practiced in the labor and employment group of a large law firm litigating on behalf of Fortune 500 corporations. He began his legal career an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County, New York.

Publicity

Douglas’s high-profile cases are frequently covered by the international news media. Most recently, his representation of Ms. Casandra Ventura in a sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs was first covered by the New York Times followed by a myriad of media outlets in the U.S and internationally. He also represents Brian Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton in a landmark race discrimination class action against the NFL that has been discussed in countless television programs and articles, and has received public support from President Joe Biden, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Jemele Hill, Spike Lee, multiple members of Congress and numerous other high-profile individuals. The case has been widely heralded as a historic reckoning that could finally force the NFL to remedy the lack of Black representation in its coaching and executive ranks.

Douglas’s handling of numerous high-profile cases has resulted in frequent television and radio appearances including Nightline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS Mornings, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, ESPN and Neil Cavuto as well as regular spots on MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NPR, the BBC and NBC News.

At the 2020 Grammy’s, host Alicia Keys commented on the retaliation suit filed by Wigdor on behalf of the former President and CEO of The Recording Academy expressing solidarity.

He is regularly quoted as a legal expert in newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Law Journal, New York Magazine, London Times, Daily Telegraph, London Independent, USA Today, New York Post, New York Daily News and many others.

Douglas’s extensive litigation experience is frequently distinguished in the media. Notably, in a profile on his career, The New York Times concluded that he is “one of New York City’s most aggressive employment lawyers.” A sitting U.S. District Judge commented in another profile in the London Independent that “Mr. Wigdor is a winner.” And Bloomberg Businessweek described Douglas as among the “top tier of telegenic anti-discrimination lawyers.”

A different Bloomberg reporter referred to Douglas as “the go-to lawyer in high-profile discrimination cases on Wall Street and in the media” who is well known for “hard-knuckle tactics and aggressive public support of his clients.”

Douglas has appeared multiple times as part of an employment mediation panel at JAMS (Judicial Arbitration & Mediation) continuing legal education events and has also appeared as a speaker at the American Arbitration Association forum, the National Employment Lawyers Association, Columbia University, Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania and Fordham Law Schools, as well as Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Douglas frequently speaks and moderates other continuing legal education seminars for the American Conference Institute and Practicing Legal Institute. He also presents lectures to various bar associations and has published articles in numerous journals.

Notable Outcomes

The vast majority of cases handled by Douglas result in confidential out-of-court settlements before they ever reach a courtroom. Nonetheless, Douglas has a reputation for obtaining multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. Some of his most notable public outcomes include:

• $23.72 million arbitration award on behalf of the former Chief Financial Officer of Six Flags, one of the largest single-plaintiff employment arbitration verdicts;
• $7.5 million verdict in a disability discrimination case against Walmart, one of the largest single-plaintiff verdicts ever under the Americans with Disabilities Act;
• $8 million (approx.) verdict on behalf of the former Editor-in-Chief of The Source Magazine, who was retaliated against after she complained of gender discrimination;
• $3.35 million verdict on behalf of a former employee of Nassau County whose due process rights were violated;
• $1.35 million verdict in a disability case where the client was terminated by his employer after disclosing that he was HIV positive;
• $1.126 million jury verdict in a Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower retaliation case on behalf of a former Vice President and Wealth Manager at JP Morgan Chase;
• Arbitration award of over $700,000 on behalf of former Managing Director at a Manhattan-based consulting group who was terminated for reasons unrelated to job performance.
  

Experience and Types of Cases

Douglas’s practice focuses on litigation and counseling of individuals and companies in connection with a wide array of employment issues, criminal matters and international issues. He has represented numerous clients who have been victimized by sexual harassment and sexual assault and unlawful workplace misconduct, including discrimination or harassment based on race, gender, pregnancy, age, religion, disability and/or LGBTQ+ status.

Some of his most notable representations include:

• Kellye Croft, a licensed massage therapist, in her sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein, and a myriad of corporate entities funded by Dolan, including some connected to music manager Irving Azoff
• Singer Casandra Ventura, in her sex trafficking and sexual assault lawsuit against Sean “Diddy”Combs
• Brian Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton in a historic race discrimination class action against the NFL and its 32 teams that many have described as a reckoning for the NFL with respect to the hiring of Black head coaches and executive staff;
• Jim Trotter, renowned sports journalist, in his discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the NFL and NFL Media;
• Actress Julia Ormond, in her sexual assault lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein which includes his employers Miramax & Disney, as well as talent agents CAA
• 10 alleged victims of sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein (including two women who testified at the criminal rape trial in New York);
• Two victims in connection with claims of defamation and sexual assault by Leon Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management;
• The former digital editor-in-chief of the New York Post, in a sexual harassment and retaliation suit against the Post and its former editor-in-chief Col Allan;
• Amazon manager in a race discrimination lawsuit over Amazon’s alleged systemic “de-leveling” of Black employees into lower paying corporate roles;
• Former Fox News employee in a lawsuit asserting claims of sexual harassment, sexual assault and retaliation against Fox News and former “America’s Newsroom” host;
• Former President and CEO of The Recording Academy (the “Academy”), who alleged that the Academy unlawfully retaliated against after she complained about a broad pattern of sexism, corruption, voting irregularities from the Academy’s longstanding “boys’ club” culture;
• Journalist Megyn Kelly in connection with a reported investigation by the Office of the New York State Attorney General into allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation and gender discrimination at NBC News;
• The former general counsel at J. Crew, in a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit alleging she was fired because of sudden hearing loss;
• The former in-house lawyer at Goldman Sachs who alleged she was unlawfully fired as part of a cover-up of sexual misconduct by the bank’s head of litigation;
• The former chief of staff to Adam Neumann, the embattled former CEO of WeWork, in a complaint alleging claims of pregnancy discrimination, gender discrimination, unequal pay and retaliation;
• Five award-winning female journalists at NY1 in an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications that sparked a national conversation on age discrimination for women in broadcast;
• Two former TV journalists at NY1 who allege that they were unlawfully terminated either while pregnant or shortly after returning from maternity leave;
• Six highly accomplished and well-respected female doctors in a sexual harassment lawsuit against Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital;
• Multiple alleged victims of sexual assault by professors at John Jay College of Criminal Justice;
• A former Vice President at Goldman Sachs in connection with claims of sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation against Goldman Sachs;
• A putative class of consumers in a class action lawsuit against Starbucks alleging the use of dangerous pesticides inside coffee shops throughout Manhattan;
• The former Executive Vice President of Content at MLB Advanced Media (“BAM”) in a lawsuit alleging breach of contract and unjust enrichment against BAM and BAMTech, a technology subsidiary of Disney;
• Former ESPN anchor in her claims of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against the network;
• Finance executive named “The Face of #MeToo on Wall Street” by The New Yorker, in her claims of gender discrimination and unequal pay against hedge fund Point72 Asset Management and its founder Steven Cohen;
• Numerous victims of alleged sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape by their Uber drivers in a putative class action against Uber;
• Thirteen former and current employees of Fox News, including former news anchor Kelly Wright, who alleged race discrimination against Fox News Network LLC, former Controller and Senior Vice President of Accounting at Fox and Fox’s General Counsel;
• Fox5 reporter in a lawsuit alleging gender and pregnancy discrimination against Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group LLC, Fox Television Stations, LLC and Fox5 News Director;
• Former New York Knicks player and NBA All-Star Charles Oakley in a defamation lawsuit against The Madison Square Garden Company and its Executive Chairman, James Dolan;
• A VP in the Wealth Management Division at investment bank Goldman Sachs in a lawsuit alleging systematic racial discrimination;
• Multiple individual plaintiffs in a racial profiling lawsuit against Macy’s;
• Employees of The New York Times Company in a class action lawsuit alleging age, race and gender discrimination;
• A former executive in a sexual harassment and retaliation claim against a top hedge fund that appeared on the front page of The New York Times;
• A nationwide class action against Sephora on behalf of over 730 Asian customers who were the victims of racial profiling and discrimination;
• A former senior VP at renowned TV channel Al Jazeera America, in a lawsuit alleging retaliation and discrimination against her former employer;
• The Adler family, on behalf of Sol Adler, in a discrimination and wrongful termination suit against the 92nd Street Y;
• A class action wage and hour lawsuit against Citigroup;
• Service employees in a collective and class action against Japanese ramen restaurant chain Ippudo for unlawful wage practices;
• Former service employees in a class action against celebrity chef David Bouley for failure to pay minimum wages and tips;
• A group of women in a gender discrimination case against Citigroup;
• The former CFO of Six Flags;
• A group of people of color in a race and national origin claim against Bank of America
• Individual women in an alleged gender discrimination class action complaint against investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort;
• The former tour manager of *NSYNC in a racial harassment lawsuit against *NSYNC
  

Awards

Douglas is one of New York’s most highly awarded employment attorneys. Some of his recent notable honors and accolades include :

• Named “one of New York City’s most aggressive employment lawyers” by The New York Times
• Winner of the New York Law Journal’s Distinguished Leader Award
• Named to the First Annual Forbes Top 200 Lawyers list
• Selected to City & State NY’s Law Power 100 list
• Named to the Top 100 Hollywood Power Lawyers list by The Hollywood Reporter
• Named to the Top Music Lawyers list by Billboard
• Ranked Band 1 in New York Labor and Employment: Mainly Plaintiffs Representation by Chambers USA
• Shortlisted for Labor and Employment Law Firm of the Year by Chambers USA
• Top 20 Labor and Employment Litigators Benchmark Litigation
• Named one of 10 “Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar” Law360
• Employment Law Editorial Advisory Board Member, Law360
• Elite Trial Lawyers Award, The National Law Journal
• Selected to Top 100 list by New York Metro Super Lawyers
• Blue Ribbon Panelist, Employment Litigation/Labor and Employment, Super Lawyers
• Selected to Super Lawyers list for 12 years by Super Lawyers
• Selected to The Best Lawyers in America list for 15 years by Best Lawyers
• Litigation – Labor and Employment, The Best Lawyers in America
• Employment Law – Individuals, Management, The Best Lawyers in America
• Most Feared Law Firms Award, BTI Consulting Group
• Best Law Firms, U.S. News & World Report
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the USA, National Trial Lawyers
• Top 100 Labor and Employment Lawyers, American Society of Legal Advocates
• Premier 100 Trial Attorney, American Academy of Trial Attorneys
• Leading Lawyer in America Award, Lawdragon
• Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyer Award, Lawdragon
• Lifetime Membership Award, Top American Lawyers
• Repeatedly Won Top Verdict, New York Law Journal
• Litigator Award, Trial Lawyers Board of Regents
• Lifetime Achievement Award, America’s Top 100 Attorneys
• Fellowship, Litigation Counsel of America
• A/V Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
• 10.0 “Superb” Rating, Avvo

Education

J.D., Catholic University School of Law - graduating in the top of his class

Catholic University Law Review senior staff member

M.A., Oxford University

Editor, Oxford International Review.

Received a coveted “Full-Blue”

Member, Vincent’s Club

B.A., cum laude, Washington University

Admitted to Practice

• U.S. Supreme Court
• Her Majesty’s Courts of England & Wales
• Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
• District of Columbia
• Pennsylvania
• New York

Member: New York State Bar Association; Federal Bar Council and Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Community Involvement

Douglas believes in giving back and has been a long-time supporter of his communities. Some of his recent activities include:

• Teacher, Cornell University, law class on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace;
• Due to his continued support of Oxford, St Cross College, a library has been named after Douglas and his wife — the Douglas and Catherine Wigdor Library Garden Room currently showcasing the James Currey Collection of academic books, journals and other literature about Africa;
• Launched week-long “Professionals in Residence” program at Oxford University’s St Cross College in 2019, in which Douglas led a series of lectures, workshops and other educational events about the rapidly evolving U.S. legal and employment landscapes;
• Assisted “Lawyers Without Borders,” training investigators in Kenya on best practices investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes;
• Funded Medical University of South Carolina Crime Victims Treatment Center;
• Funded ongoing joint research project between Weill Cornell and Cornell Institute and Labor Relations School into treatment of home health care workers and corresponding services provided to those in need;
• Washington University: Endowed Arts & Sciences student scholarship and cycling studio in the student Recreational Center;
• Member, Advisory Board, Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor and Employment Relations;
• Member, Board of Advisors for the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University;
• Member, Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University;
• Member, Westside Tennis Club at Forest Hills and International Tennis Club of the U.S.A.;
• Served on Forest Hills Gardens Association legal committee;
• Sponsored New York Pops summer series at Forest Hills Stadium.