Faculty Profile: David Garrison

Dave Garrison focuses his practice on complex civil litigation, including class and collective action litigation, in federal and state courts throughout the country. A significant part of Mr. Garrison's practices is representing employees, including whistleblowers who have uncovered fraud, workers involved in pay disputes, executives in severance negotiations, and employees who have suffered discrimination. Mr. Garrison is also engaged in the firm's securities, healthcare, and consumer class action practice, representing pension funds, health and welfare funds, and consumers in litigation throughout the country.

 

Mr. Garrison has extensive experience in representing employees whose fundamental rights have been violated by their

employer. He has served as lead counsel in collective actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that

have resulted in settlements requiring the payment of millions of dollars to workers who were underpaid by their employer. Those cases involve claims by employees who have been improperly denied overtime, forced to work off-the-clock, or have been improperly designated as exempt" from overtime laws by their employer.

 

Additionally, Mr. Garrison represents whistleblowers in qui tam litigation brought under the federal False Claims Act and similar state statutes. Mr. Garrison is especially focused on representing whistleblowers in the healthcare industry who have uncovered fraud against Medicare or Medicaid (TennCare), including whistleblowers in the hospital, pharmaceutical, and hospice care industries. In addition to healthcare fraud, Mr. Garrison represents whistleblowers who have uncovered fraud against for-profit education institutions and the defense industry.

 

Mr. Garrison also maintains an active labor law practice. He serves as counsel to labor unions in arbitration, before the National  Labor Relations Board, and in state and federal court. Mr. Garrison has litigated dozens of successful arbitrations on behalf of the firm's union clients, involving wrongful discharge, health and welfare contribution disputes, and promotion and demotion issues.

 

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Garrison is also active in Democratic politics. He has served as Treasurer of the Tennessee Democratic Party and served as a member of President Obama's 2012 National Finance Committee. Prior to practicing law, Mr. Garrison served as Project Coordinator at The Brookings Institution for President Bill Clinton's National Economic Advisor, Gene Sperling. In 2000, he served as Assistant Policy Coordinator for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign, where he worked with Vice President Gore's senior policy advisors in the development and communication of the campaign's policy agenda.

 

Mr. Garrison received his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University, and received his Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University School of Law, where he served in the Moot Court Honor Society. During his third year of law school, he attended Vanderbilt Law School. Mr. Garrison is a member of the American, Tennessee, and Nashville Bar Associations, and the National Employment Lawyers Association. Mr. Garrison is also a member of Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF). He served as an associate member of the Harry Phillips Chapter of the American Inn of Court and is currently a member of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee. From 2001 - 2004, Dave served on the DePauw University Board of Trustees.