David Lietz is a Senior Partner at Milberg whose practice concentrates on complex civil litigation and consumer class actions, with a particular emphasis on data breach and cybersecurity cases.
Since 2020, Mr. Lietz has filed over 100 data breach class action lawsuits, successfully briefing and arguing dozens of motions to dismiss. He serves as lead counsel on multiple cases that are on the cutting edge of Article III federal court jurisdiction in data breach litigation. He has been named class counsel in dozens of data breach class actions, winning millions of dollars in compensation for the victims of data breaches. He has successfully tried consumer class actions to verdict before a jury, most recently in Baez v. LTD Financial Services in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Prior to 2016, Mr. Lietz was a critical injury and wrongful death attorney, handling high-profile wrongful death and injury cases. Some of his representative matters include wrongful death cases arising from the 2009 Washington DC Metrorail crash litigation, a 2006 Greyhound bus crash in upstate New York, the 2002 Interstate 40 bridge collapse, and the 1998 coal dust explosion at a power plant near Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Lietz handled numerous critical injury and wrongful death cases arising from commercial trucking-related crashes.
In addition to his class action and litigation experience, Mr. Lietz has substantial appellate experience, successfully briefing and arguing multiple cases before a number of federal appellate courts, including Home Depot v. Jackson at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and served as part of the successful brief-writing and oral advocacy team for Home Depot v. Jackson, 139 S. Ct. 1743, 1744, 204 L. Ed. 2d 34 (2019) at the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Lietz is passionate about representing real people who have suffered injury through no fault of their own and is equally passionate about making good law, leading as a responsible, ethical attorney who adheres to the highest standards of professional conduct. Mr. Lietz upholds collegiality and respect in litigation, which paves the way to zealously represent clients and disagree on the facts and the law without being disagreeable.
Previously with Whitfield Bryson, Mr. Lietz joined Milberg’s team in March of 2022.
For his substantial efforts in advancing the state of the law in data breach and cyber-security litigation, in April of 2022, Mr. Lietz was named to Law360’s 2022 Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board. This twelve person editorial board includes some of the most accomplished attorneys in the country in the cybersecurity and data breach legal field.
Outside the office, Mr. Lietz is a wine professional who previously served on the wine advisory board of a private equity wine fund and is also a volunteer with DC Central Kitchen. Mr. Lietz and his wife are a dog-loving family that enjoys international travel.
Webb v. Injured Workers Pharm., 72 F.4th 365 (1st Cir. 2023)
Charlie v. Rehoboth McKinley Christian Healthcare Services, Civ. No. 21-652 SCY/KK, 2022 WL 1078553 (D.N.M. April 11, 2022)
Shedd v. Sturdy Mem’l Hosp., Inc., No. 2173-CV-0049-8C, 2022 WL 1102524 (Mass. Super. Apr. 5, 2022)
Purvis v. Aveanna Healthcare, LLC, 563 F. Supp. 3d 1360 (N.D. Ga. 2021)
Baldwin v. Nat’l W. Life Ins. Co., No. 2:21-CV-04066-WJE, 2021 WL 4206736 (W.D. Mo. Sept. 15, 2021)
McCreary v. Filters Fast LLC, No. 3:20-CV-595-FDW-DCK, 2021 WL 3044228 (W.D.N.C. July 19, 2021)
Home Depot v. Jackson, 139 S. Ct. 1743, 1744, 204 L. Ed. 2d 34 (2019)
Baez v. LTD Financial Services, L.P., 757 Fed.Appx. 842 (11th Cir. 2018)
Burrow v. Forjas Taurus, S.A., 334 F. Supp. 2d 1222 (S.D. Fla. 2018)
Jackson v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 880 F.3d 165 (4th Cir. 2018)
Rowland v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., 34 F. Supp. 3d 556 (W.D. Pa. 2014)
Alderson et al. v. Southern Co. et al., 321 Ill. App.3d 832, 747 N.E.2d 926 (2001)
Camalier & Buckley, Inc. v. Sandoz & Lamberton, 667 A.2d 822 (D.C. 1995)
King v. Jones, 647 A.2d 64 (D.C. 1994)
Practice Areas
Education
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1991
- B.A., Luther College, cum laude, 1988
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia, 1991
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 1994
- United States Supreme Court, 2019
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2022
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 2017
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 1998
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2018
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, 2018
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2015
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2020
- U.S. District Court, District of North Dakota, 2005
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 1995
- U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, 2021
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2021
Awards
- Luther College Distinguished Service Award
- Martindale-Hubbell Client Distinction Award
- AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
- Washington D.C. & Baltimore’s Top Rated Lawyers
Professional Activities
- Luther College Board of Regents
- Regent Emeritus
- Luther College Presidential Search Committee
- The International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI)
- Law360's Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board, 2022