Charles E. Schaffer is a Philadelphia native who served in the United States Marine Corps and now represents individuals and national classes in toxic torts, environmental disasters and exposures, consumer protection, products liability, antitrust, and other complex class action litigation.
With over 25 years of experience Mr. Schaffer is a nationally-recognized leader in complex and class action litigation, having been appointed to nineteen leadership positions in MDLs by various different district courts across the nation and has served in over forty (40) leadership positions in non-MDL complex litigation. He is widely recognized for his ability to lead very complex litigation and his expertise in dealing with discovery, experts, damage models, and national and multi-state classes.
Mr. Schaffer has concentrated his practice in representing consumers victimized by defective products, drugs, and securing relief for consumers that are victims of data breaches and unfair or deceptive practices. Through smart, efficient, strategy and tailored creative problem-solving, Mr. Schaffer and Levin Sedran have recovered billions of dollars for victims of defective products, data breaches and unfair or deceptive practices. See, e.g., In re: JP Morgan Modification Litigation, MDL No. 2290 (D. Mass.) (Co-Lead) (nationwide settlement valued at $506 million on behalf of bank customers wrongfully denied mortgage modifications); Armando Herrera v. Wells Fargo Bank, Case No. 8:18-cv-00332 (C.D. Cal.) (Co-Lead) (nationwide settlement in excess of $300 million to repay borrowers for prepaid GAP insurance and unwarranted fees); In re Wells Fargo Insurance Marketing Sales Practices Litigation, MDL No. 2797 (C.D. Cal) (Executive Committee) (nationwide settlement in the amount of $423.5 million to repay borrowers for unnecessary insurance and fees); In re: CertainTeed Siding Litigation, MDL No. 2270 (E.D. Pa) (Liaison, Discovery and Settlement Committees) ($103.9 million nationwide settlement on behalf of homeowners with defective fiber cement siding); In re: CertainTeed Corporation Roofing Shingle Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1817 (E.D. Pa.) (Liaison, Discovery and Settlement Committees) (nationwide settlement on behalf of 1.8 million homeowners valued at $687 to $815 million); In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873 (D.S.C.), (settlements valued in excess of $12 billion).
His substantial experience includes representing victims of unfair trade practices by banks, insurers and other entities, E.g. In re: Wells Fargo Insurance Marketing Sales Practices Litigation, MDL No. 2797 (C.D.Ca.) (forced placed auto insurance); In re: JP Morgan Modification Litigation, MDL No.: 2290 (D.C. Mass.) (Plaintiffs’ Co-lead Counsel); Armando Herrera, et al. v. Wells Fargo Bank, et al., No. 8:18-cv-00332 (C.D. Cal.), and data breaches including those with compromised private financial data, private health data and various forms of private personal information. See, e.g., Holden v. Guardian Analytics, Inc., No. 2:23-cv-02156 (D.N.J.) (co-lead counsel; financial data); Kuss v. American Home Patient, Inc., No. 8:18-cv-0248 (M.D. Fla.) (co-lead/class counsel, health data); In re: Overby-Seawell Co. Cust. Data Sec. Breach Litig., MDL No. 3056 (N.D. Ga) (executive committee, financial data); In re: NCB Mgmt. Serv., Inc. Data Breach Litig., No. 2:23-cv-01236 (E.D. Pa.) (liaison counsel, financial); In re: Carrier IQ Consumer Privacy Litigation, MDL No. 2330 (N.D. Cal.) (executive committee, personal data).
In addition to representing consumers, Mr. Schaffer has also represented victims of pollution, contamination and other toxic exposures. In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2873 (D.S.C.) (executive committee) (settlements valued in excess of $12 billion); In re East Palestine, Train Derailment, Meneghin, No. 4:23-cv-00242 (N.D.OH.) (executive committee); Meneghin, v. The Exxon Mobile Corporation, et al., No. OCN-002697-07 (N.J. Super. Ct., Ocean County) (Plaintiffs’ Co-lead Counsel); Johnson, et al. v. Walsh, et al., PCCP April Term, 2008, No. 2012 (Phila. Com. Pl.) (Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel).
Currently, Mr. Schaffer is serving as Co-Lead counsel In re: Chantix (Varenicline) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (No. II) MDL3050 (S.D.N.Y.); discovery liaison counsel in In re Philips Recalled CPAP, BI-Level PAP, Mechanical Ventilator Products Liability Litigation (Philips), MDL No. 3014 (W.D. Pa.), a member of Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2873 (D.S.C), a member of Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in In re Overby-Seawell Company Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, No. 1:23-md-03056 (N.D. Ga), a member of Third Party Payor Discovery and Trial Committee in In Re: Valsartan Losartan and Irbesartan Products Liability Litigation, No. 1:19-md-02875-RBK-JS (D.N.J.) and is actively participating in a number of other class actions and mass tort actions across the United States in leadership positions.
Along with his class action and mass tort experience, Mr. Schaffer has a LLM in Trial Advocacy and has extensive experience prosecuting complex individual actions on behalf of injured individuals in products liability, medical negligence and drug and medical device actions. He has served as Lead Counsel in these matters and successfully tried cases to jury verdicts.
In recognition of his accomplishments, Mr. Schaffer has achieved and maintained an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating and is recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer. Mr. Schaffer speaks nationally on a multitude of topics relating to class actions and complex litigation.
