Sauder Schelkopf is investigating potential civil claims involving human trafficking, forced labor, and related forms of exploitation.
Human trafficking can take many forms and may occur in workplaces, housing arrangements, or other environments where individuals are controlled, coerced, or exploited for labor or services. If you or someone you know has experienced these conditions, we encourage you to contact us for a free, confidential consultation.
What Is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is not limited to what many people traditionally associate with the term. It can include situations where individuals are:
- Recruited or transported under false promises
- Forced to work through threats, coercion, or intimidation
- Prevented from leaving a job or living situation
- Subjected to unsafe or degrading working or living conditions
- Required to pay excessive recruitment or placement fees
- Threatened with deportation, legal consequences, or harm
Trafficking can occur across a range of industries and settings and may involve both domestic and international workers.
Common Patterns of Exploitation
Based on public reporting and government enforcement actions, certain patterns frequently appear in trafficking-related cases, including:
- Confiscation of passports or identification documents
- Debt-based coercion, where individuals are required to repay large fees
- Restriction of movement or communication
- Threats of deportation or retaliation
- Failure to pay wages or underpayment
- Unsafe or overcrowded housing conditions
For example, government enforcement actions have alleged situations where workers were threatened, prevented from leaving, and required to live in unsafe housing while being subjected to coercive labor practices.
These types of allegations demonstrate how trafficking can occur in employment and labor settings, not just in more widely recognized contexts.
Civil Claims May Be Available
In certain circumstances, individuals who have experienced trafficking or forced labor may have the right to bring civil claims against responsible parties.
These claims may involve allegations such as:
- Forced labor or coercion
- Fraudulent recruitment practices
- Wage and hour violations
- Discrimination or retaliation
- Negligent supervision or oversight by companies or third parties
Every situation is different, and the availability of claims depends on the specific facts and applicable law.
Our Investigation
Sauder Schelkopf is reviewing potential cases involving:
- Labor trafficking and coercive employment practices
- Recruitment schemes involving excessive fees or misrepresentation
- Situations where individuals were prevented from leaving work or housing arrangements
- Failure to pay wages or provide lawful working conditions
- Retaliation against individuals who attempted to report misconduct
This investigation is ongoing. The firm is not currently announcing any specific lawsuit in connection with this page.
Who Should Contact Us
We are interested in speaking with individuals who may have experienced:
- Pressure or threats to continue working against their will
- Restrictions on movement, travel, or personal documents
- Recruitment into jobs that were materially different from what was promised
- Living or working conditions that felt unsafe, coercive, or controlled
- Difficulty leaving a job due to financial, legal, or physical threats
We also welcome inquiries from family members or others who may be aware of these types of situations.
Contact Us
If you believe you may have experienced or witnessed human trafficking or forced labor, you can contact Sauder Schelkopf for a free, confidential consultation.
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $1 billion on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
We Want to Hear from You
If you believe you may have experienced or witnessed human trafficking or forced labor, you can contact Sauder Schelkopf for a free, confidential consultation. You can contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page.