Congratulations to David E. Gottlieb!
Wigdor LLP is proud to announce that our Partner David E. Gottlieb has been named a Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar by Law360, one of the leading sources of legal news and analysis in the U.S. This coveted award was granted to 11 of the most influential plaintiffs’ lawyers in the U.S. across a wide range of practice areas.
“David Gottlieb always knew he wanted to represent the little guy,” wrote Law360 in a feature profile about Mr. Gottlieb’s work. Mr. Gottlieb is a leading labor and employment attorney who has dedicated his entire career to victim advocacy, often going up against powerful individuals and companies with deep pockets. His clients hail from virtually every industry and job level — from minimum-wage workers to C-suite executives.
Prior to earning his law degree from the Miami University School of Law, Mr. Gottlieb studied philosophy, which reinforced his desire to help victims. In an interview with Law360, Mr. Gottlieb said:
“Part of the reason I studied philosophy is I was interested in the way we treat one another in society, and the ethical issues that philosophy raises. I wanted to be in a profession where I could make genuine differences in people’s lives.”
Mr. Gottlieb has represented employees in numerous high-profile legal matters during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Law360. These include five veteran female news anchors at NY1 in an age and gender discrimination lawsuit against Charter Communications, two former employees at Goldman Sachs who sued for discrimination and retaliation, and a former TMZ producer who accused the celebrity gossip website of cultivating a toxic and misogynistic work culture.
Those cases and others have brought much-needed visibility to serious issues plaguing workplaces across America. For example, his representation of five NY1 anchorwomen in an age and gender discrimination lawsuit cast a light on unfair double standards that older women often experience in the TV news business. Those allegations later prompted the New York City Council to introduce a historic legislative package aimed at preventing age discrimination in the workplace.
In addition, Mr. Gottlieb represented the plaintiffs in one of the earliest and most prominent consumer fraud lawsuits related to the COVID-19 economic shutdown. A putative class action filed on March 26, 2020 accused New York Sports Clubs of unlawfully charging members’ credit cards for gym memberships that they could not use after the pandemic forced gyms to close. National media attention in the case prompted a multi-state coalition of Attorneys General to investigate the issue. By September, New York Attorney General Letitia James had filed a lawsuit against the company for allegedly defrauding consumers.
One client praised Mr. Gottlieb for his “ability to listen, synthesize information and offer on-the-spot legal analyses,” according to Law360. Known for being a formidable opponent in litigation, Mr. Gottlieb’s reputation among the employment defense bar has led to the vast majority of his cases settling confidentially — often before a public complaint is ever filed.