Sauder Schelkopf is investigating allegations involving international staffing and recruitment practices affecting foreign-born nurses working in the United States.
Reports indicate that some international staffing agencies require nurses to sign long-term contracts abroad and, after years of immigration processing and relocation to the U.S., allegedly subject them to materially different employment terms than those promised. Reported practices may include, among other things:
- Being placed into or coerced into “travel nurse” assignments rather than permanent roles
- Assignment to locations different from those promised during recruitment
- Pay rates that are lower than represented
- Lack of guaranteed hours or, alternatively, being required to work excessive hours
- Restrictions on the ability to change assignments or seek other employment
- Demands for large termination fees or contract “buyouts” if an assignment ends early
- Threats to impose financial penalties or pursue repayment if a nurse leaves or is terminated, regardless of fault
These reported practices may disproportionately affect internationally recruited nurses who have invested years in the immigration process and relocated their lives and families based on employment promises.
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Sauder Schelkopf is investigating whether such conduct may violate federal or state labor laws, wage and hour laws, consumer protection statutes, or other legal protections.
Were You Affected?
You may wish to speak with an attorney if you are an internationally recruited nurse who experienced:
- Employment terms that differed from what was promised
- Unexpected reassignment, pay reductions, or loss of hours
- Threats of financial penalties, repayment demands, or contract buyouts
- Pressure to accept unfavorable assignments to avoid penalties
Contact Sauder Schelkopf
If you think you were affected by similar conduct, we would like to encourage you to contact Sauder Schelkopf for a 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 were impacted, you can contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page.