Sauder Schelkopf LLC is investigating potential litigation against the railway company, Norfolk Southern Corporation, after 50 cars from one of its trains derailed on February 3, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. As reported by CNN, and many other regional and national news outlets, 10 of the derailed cars were reportedly carrying hazardous material that may have been released at the crash site.

Authorities instituted an evacuation zone around the area of the site spanning two states: Pennsylvania and Ohio. Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, and Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro, ordered mandatory evacuations of about 5,000 people residing in a 2-square-mile area around the site of the crash.

Sauder Schelkopf and co-counsel reached a $10.3 million settlement on behalf of businesses impacted by a massive power outage and evacuation caused by a bridge builder on the Outer Banks. Joe Sauder also has a history of environmental litigation where he assisted with the trial of the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant in Colorado, which ultimately resulted in a $375 million settlement.

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 $500 million 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.  Our attorneys have also been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.

We Want to Hear from You

If you or your property has been damaged or otherwise impacted by this incident and you’d like to learn more about our case investigation, please feel free to complete the form on this page.