David R. Wright

David Wright a litigator with a complementary appellate practice. He represents clients at both the trial and appellate levels, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. David practices in Florida state and federal courts nationwide and has litigated numerous cases. His litigation experience spans contract disputes, tort and consumer claims, class actions, and employment matters. He also has significant experience with settlement proposals under Florida law and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
 
Drawing on his experience as both a litigator and a federal district court law clerk, David works collaboratively with clients to develop proactive, pragmatic strategies that reduce risk in current and prospective operations. His practical, precise approach has resulted in numerous successful outcomes.
 
Prior to joining Carlton Fields, David served a two-year term as a law clerk to the Honorable Virginia Covington of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He also worked as an intern with the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee and as an elder law initiative intern with the Department of Justice.

David has been recognized on The Best Lawyers in America’s “Ones to Watch” list for appellate practice and commercial litigation, and on Super Lawyers Magazine’s “Florida Rising Stars” list.

• Successfully defended a foreign sovereign in federal court on immunity grounds under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, including successfully defeating a petition for writ of certiorari filed before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Oobtained a six-figure consent judgment.
• Successfully obtained dismissal of a multi-count complaint alleging unjust enrichment, discrimination, and civil conspiracy.
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice of multicount complaint filed in federal court against publicly traded company, which, after succeeding before the Florida Supreme Court on a certified question, was affirmed by the Eleventh Circuit.
• Obtained final summary judgment against plaintiffs in a 900,000-plus certified class action pending in federal court.
• Trial counsel in a bench trial involving claims of breach of a noncompete and competing claims for breach of fiduciary duty.
• ​Trial counsel in jury trial involving business divorce, resulting in jury verdict awarding client damages.
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice of putative class action case brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice of putative class action case alleging unjust enrichment claims against publicly traded company.
• Successfully defended against writ of garnishment and declaratory judgment action by prevailing on contract interpretation at summary judgment.
• Defended large broker-dealer against consumer claims in FINRA arbitration, which resolved at mediation.
• Defended company against trade secret misappropriation claim, which resolved at mediation.
• Successfully prosecuted Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act claim, including an award of attorneys' fees.
• Served as offer of judgment consultant to a plaintiff who did not accept an offer of judgment, and successfully defended against claim for fees under the unaccepted offer.

Representative Cases

• Bhattacharya v. State Bank of India, 70 F.4th 941 (7th Cir. 2023), cert. denied, 144 S. Ct. 682 (2024).
• Nolen v. Fairshare Vacation Owners Ass’n, No. 6:20-cv-00330, 2022 WL 896794 (M.D. Fla. Mar. 10, 2022).
• Pincus v. Am. Traffic Sols., Inc., 986 F.3d 1305 (11th Cir. 2021).
• Lewis Tree Serv., Inc. v. Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC, 311 So. 3d 206 (Fla. 2d DCA 2020).

• The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Securities Litigation (2022–2026)
• Florida Rising Stars, Super Lawyers Magazine (2024–2025)

• The Florida Bar
• Federal Bar Association, Tampa Bay Chapter
  • Membership Chair (2025)
  • Essay Contest Chair (2024–2025)
  • Civil Seminar Co-Chair (2022–2023)
• Tampa Connection, Class of 2019

• "Navigating the Maze of Fee-Shifting and Proposals for Settlement," 28th Annual HCBA Bench Bar Conference, Hillsborough County Bar Association, Tampa, FL (October 7, 2025)
• "Florida Tort Reform and Insurance Coverage Litigation: New Limitations on One-Way Fee Shifting and the Rise of Proposals for Settlement," 2023 Florida Insurance Network Symposium (August 11, 2023)
• "Recordkeeping Compliance: Recent SEC and FINRA Enforcement Actions and Best Practices," ACLI Compliance and Legal Sections Annual Meeting 2022 (July 12, 2022)