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.