Attorneys at Schaefer Law Firm have many years of experience successfully representing tens of thousands of people, in suits that have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and changed many illegal practices.
Highlights of class action claims include:
- A ground-breaking case against Eveleth Mines, which was the first successfully prosecuted class action sexual harassment case, and the subject of a book (CLASS ACTION: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case that Changed Sexual Harassment Law, by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler), and the basis for a movie (North Country, starring Charlize Theron).
- An influential gender-discrimination class action suit against the University of Minnesota, brought on behalf of women faculty and academic staff, which involved thirty or more mediations over a three year period and resulted in $3 million in annual salary increases.
- A gender discrimination class action brought on behalf of more than 3,000 female financial advisors, which settled for $31 million and extensive injunctive relief that revamped the compensation and promotion system, imposed internal training, and specific complaint resolution procedure.
- A class action gender discrimination claim involving female technicians at 6 CBS-owned stations, including WCCO in Minneapolis, which settled, after the class was certified, for more than $8 million in compensation and comprehensive injunctive relief involving distribution of overtime, assignments, training and reporting obligations on behalf of approximately 200 female employees.
- A class action gender discrimination claim brought on behalf of the female employees of the City of Minneapolis Public Works Department, which settled for $1.2 million, including substantial back pay awards to the class members, and imposed injunctive relief that created significant changes to city personnel policies and practices designed to enhance the opportunities for female employees to achieve promotions in a male-dominated department.
- A successful gender discrimination class action brought against General Mills on behalf of "Betty Crocker" - that is, the women employees of the food science laboratory who sought to receive equal pay.
- A race discrimination class action brought on behalf of more than 250 former and current employees for FMC Corporation, which settled for $3.1 million plus injunctive relief changing the method of evaluating, promoting and compensating class members and imposing extensive training obligations as well as a specific complaint procedure to resolve future discrimination complaints.
- A case brought on behalf of more than 1000 employees of IKON Document Services, involving both race and national origin discrimination claims and wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- A race discrimination class action claim brought on behalf of more than 2000 Amtrak employees, which settled for more than $24 million in compensation and imposed comprehensive injunctive relief, affecting terms and conditions of both hourly and management employees.
- A ground-breaking class action disability discrimination case brought on behalf of workers at Koch Refining Company, which changed illegal company practices.
- A collective action age discrimination claim brought on behalf of nearly 400 employees of a bank, which settled for $58.5 million, establishing one of the largest per capita recoveries for any case in this field.
- A novel ERISA class action against First Union Corporation, challenging management of 401(k) funds on behalf of more than 75,000 participants, which settled for $26 million after the class was certified and resulted in the appointment of an independent advisor to assist in fund management, as well as comprehensive reporting obligations and introduction of new funds.
- An ERISA class action against American Home Mortgage, challenging the company's failure to honor its promise to fund a pension plan, which resulted in substantial monetary and injunctive relief.
- An innovative amicus curiae brief in redistricting litigation, arguing that various state-wide redistricting plans being considered by a special panel of the Minnesota appellate courts discriminated against women incumbents.
- A class action lawsuit against a credit company involving "insurance packing" in consumer loans which settled for approximately $7 million.
- A class action lawsuit against a major rent to own company (Rent-A-Center) in which the court found the transactions to be void as usurious and ordered refunds to the class totaling $15 million.
- A successful multi-district class action against Ameriquest involving loan overcharges, junk fees and foreclosure expenses, illusory discount fees, truth-in-lending violations and other deceptive loan practices.
Highlights of individual claims include:
- A seven figure settlement in a wrongful death case involving wrongful operation of a commercial vehicle.
- The largest settlement at the time for an individual hurt while using a faulty Hi-Lift Jack.
- Successful appellate court arguments in a ground-breaking discrimination case against Raytheon Corporation, which established new law in Massachusetts regarding employers' liability for unconscious cognitive bias.
- A favorable ruling in a ground-breaking discrimination case brought on behalf of a male employee, clarifying that Title VII, the federal anti-discrimination law, forbids same sex sexual harassment.
- A $500,000 verdict for a former vice president at Cargill, in a case which also established new law regarding the "good cause" standard for termination in Minnesota.
- A $380,000 verdict, including $250,000 in punitive damages, for the plaintiff in an individual race discrimination claim against Northwest Airlines.
- A jury award in excess of $400,000 for the plaintiff physician in a case involving tort, contract, and national origin claims.
- The confidential settlement of a case in which an employee who had been wrongfully deprived of stock options received reimbursement at their highest value since his discharge, even though the shares of stock had since become worthless.
