Civil Litigation and Trial Practice: Experienced litigating matters from pretrial negotiation through trial, including:
– Representation of employers in litigation of labor, employment and civil rights claims by current or former employees;
– Representation of employers in whistleblower actions;
– Representation of companies in business and commercial disputes including litigation of claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of employee’s duty of loyalty, tortious interference, and civil conspiracy;
– Prosecution and defense of non-competition agreements, trade secrets and litigation arising out of defecting employees; and
– Representation of educational institutions in faculty, staff and student claims
Mr. Wright also litigates clients’ non-employment-related matters when needed, including traditional torts and contract disputes
Civil Rights Litigation: We represent employers, educational institutions, government entities, and other organizations in the defense of civil rights claims, including:
– Discrimination and retaliation claims on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual harassment, age, disability, pregnancy, national origin and other types of unlawful discrimination under state and federal laws, including claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, and the Florida Civil Rights Act;
– Administrative proceedings before federal, state and local equal employment agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations; and
– Representation of educational institutions in Title IX gender equity, sex discrimination and sexual harassment claims
OSHA: Advises employers on compliance with federal and state occupational safety and health laws. Represents employers in investigations conducted by OSHA, as well as litigation of contested OSHA cases
Disability Accommodations Compliance: Represents clients regarding employee and student accommodations, ADA Title III access issues, website accessibility, and the development of accommodation policies and practices
Appellate Litigation: Specializes in appeals of labor, employment and education matters. Mr. Wright has handled appeals in both the Florida District Courts of Appeals and the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Whistleblower Litigation: Represents employers in claims under Florida’s public and private whistleblower statutes
Wage and Hour Litigation: Represents employers in wage and hour claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and equivalent state laws, state minimum wage laws, and state unpaid wages law. Represents employers in wage and hour investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor
Non-Competition Agreements: Experienced in both the preparation and litigation of employment agreements involving restrictive covenants
Educational Law: Provides general advice and counsel to educational institutions and represents educational institutions in employment matters, Title IX issues, governance issues, disability claims, general litigation, student grievances and faculty issues
General Advice and Counsel: Provides general advice and counsel to employers regarding a variety of matters including employee benefits, disability accommodations, reductions in force, non-compete agreements, employee hiring, executive employment issues, wage and hour issues, and the drafting of employment handbooks and policies
Website Accessibility Litigation: Represents companies in litigation involving website accessibility claims under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Prior to joining Alexander DeGance Barnett, Todd worked for a statewide, AV Rated civil defense firm, where he primarily focused in the areas of insurance coverage and bad faith/extra-contractual liability litigation. In addition, Todd handled property and casualty, construction, employer liability, homeowners, and product liability matters. Prior to private practice, Todd served as a Judicial Staff Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida where he assisted judges in a wide variety of matters including complex civil litigation, class action litigation, commercial litigation and capital criminal litigation. Mr. Wright has on several occasions been appointed by the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit as a Special Master to preside over evidentiary hearings regarding requests for belated appeals.
