Lawdragon Named Joe Sauder Among its 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers for 2024

July 26, 2024 – Lawdragon has published its list of the 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers for 2024, an honor roll that includes Sauder Schelkopf partner Joe Sauder.

The Lawdragon introduction notes:

“We all want a fair chance. These are the lawyers who’ve made that their lives’ work. So many rights we now take for granted – for minorities, women, the disabled and others – came about because of a plaintiff lawyer who decided to stand up. Similarly, one would have thought that in 2024, lawyers would not have been needed to litigate the right to be free from being killed or beaten by law enforcement. And yet, here we are. For those reasons and many more, it’s a particular point of pride to recognize those included here.”

Lawdragon “selected those recognized in this guide through our time-honed process combining independent journalistic research, vetting with peers and adversaries and robust submissions.  There are many heroes here, who will stand up for you and put their own resources on the line to get you justice.”

• Mr. Sauder has been at the forefront of litigation on behalf of males who were victims of sexual misconduct by Dr. Richard Strauss, the Ohio State team doctor, while they were students and student-athletes at Ohio State University. The United States Supreme Court recently denied OSU’s writ of cert seeking to reverse a 6^th Cir decision that reversed the district court’s opinion dismissing the case on SOL grounds. The case has now been sent back to the district court for litigation.
• Mr. Sauder served as co-lead counsel in a recently announced a landmark class action settlement in which the University of Michigan agreed to “major institutional reforms.” It was alleged that UofM longtime employment of a predatory former sports doctor evidenced a toxic environment where students face an increased risk of sexual violence in violation of Title IX. The settlement comes after widespread allegations by over 1000 survivors of sexual misconduct by Dr. Robert E. Anderson, former director of University Health Service, and a former athletic team physician, who worked at the University of Michigan from 1968 until his retirement in 2003.
• Mr. Sauder, and co-counsel, reached a $215 million settlement on behalf of female patients of Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist at the University of Southern California accused of sexual misconduct since the 1990s. USC also agreed to institutional reforms as part of the court-approved settlement.
• Mr. Sauder currently represents hundreds of individuals whose rights were violated while they were detained in a juvenile detention facility. Mr. Sauder and co-counsel filed the lawsuit on behalf of current and former students of The Glen Mills Schools who allege that they were sexually, physically and mentally abused while attending the School.

• In Allison, et al. v. The GEO Group, Mr. Sauder served as co-lead counsel and achieved a $2.9 million settlement on behalf of pretrial detainees whose civil rights were violated at the Delaware County prison.
• In Kurian v. County of Lancaster, Mr. Sauder served as co-lead counsel and achieved a $2.5 million settlement in this civil rights class action lawsuit on behalf of pretrial detainees.
• Mr. Sauder and co-counsel represent individuals who allege they were exposed as minors to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse while in the care of Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. Devereux is a private behavioral health organization that operates 21 campuses in 13 states, annually treating more than 25,000 children and young adults with advanced behavioral, intellectual, developmental, and mental health needs. Included among Devereux’s facilities and programs are residential treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, group homes, supported living communities, schools, special education centers, and outpatient programs.
• The National Law Journal named Mr. Sauder to the 2023 Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers. The honor recognizes plaintiffs’ lawyers who “prove to be born leaders, and true agents of change.” The National Law Journal noted that all this year’s honorees, “continue to make their mark in various aspects of legal work on the plaintiffs’ side.”