Joseph B. Kenney is a Partner who devotes his practice to litigation and has experience representing consumers in class actions involving automotive and consumer product defects, false and misleading advertising, securities litigation, employee rights, and other consumer protection litigation. Joe currently serves as class counsel on behalf of owners of fire sprinklers in Jackson v. Viking Group, Inc., No. 8:18-cv-02356 (D. Md.). Since 2017, Mr. Kenney has been selected by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (an honor reserved for 2.5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania), as chosen by his peers based on his professional achievements.
Mr. Kenney Co-Chair’s the firm’s Law & College Fellowship Program. The fellowship is offered to those who are seeking a career in the law or public service with significant litigation experience in complex, high impact national litigation. The firm has also partnered with several nationally recognized public interest legal non-profit organizations to provide its fellows with an opportunity to work with some of the county's leading non-profit organizations.
Mr. Kenney has briefed and argued dispositive motions in federal courts across the country. Mr. Kenney has also been appointed class counsel in a variety of class action settlements, which have made tens of millions of dollars in benefits available to consumers. Mr. Kenney has contributed significantly to the successful resolution of the following cases:
Cole v. NIBCO, Inc., (D.N.J.) (class action resulting in $43.5 million settlement on behalf of purchasers of defective plumbing components);
Jackson v. Viking Group, Inc., (D. Md.) (class action settlement on behalf of purchasers of defective fire sprinklers with benefits valued at between $30.45 million and $50.75 million);
In re: USC Student Health Center Litig., (C.D. Cal) ($215 million class action settlement on behalf of female sex abuse survivors who were patients of a university gynecologist);
In re: Hyundai and Kia Engine Litig., (C.D. Cal.) (preliminary approval granted to a settlement covering approximately 4 million class vehicles and a settlement valued at over $800 million);
Fath v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., (D. Minn.) (class action settlement on behalf of consumers who purchased vehicles with alleged oil dilution condition);
Ajose v. Interline Brands, Inc., (D. Tenn.) (class action resulting in a $16.5 million settlement on behalf of purchasers of defective toilet connectors);
Rangel v. Cardell Cabinetry, LLC, (W.D. Tex.) ($800,000 settlement on behalf of hundreds of former employees of a Texas cabinetry maker for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) violations when they were fired without notice);
In re: Outer Banks Power Outage Litigation, (E.D.N.C.) ($10.3 million settlement on behalf of businesses impacted by a massive power outage and evacuation caused by a bridge builder);
Bang v. BMW of North America, LLC, (D.N.J.) (nationwide class action settlement on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain BMW vehicles with N63 engines containing alleged oil consumption defect);
Traxler v. PPG Industries, Inc., (N.D. Ohio) ($6.5 million class action settlement on behalf of homeowners who purchased and used defective deck product);
Bishop v. Behr Process Corp., (N.D. Ill.) (class action settlement on behalf of homeowners who purchased and used defective deck product);
In re Stericycle Inc., Sterisafe Contract Litigation, (N.D. Ill.) ($295 million class action settlement on behalf of medical waste disposal customers of Stericycle regarding alleged automated price increases in violation of contractual terms);
Desio et al. v. Insinkerator et al., (E.D. WA) ($3.8 million class action settlement on behalf of homeowners who purchased defective water filters);
Davitt v. Honda North America, Inc., (D.N.J.) (class action nationwide settlement on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of Honda CR-V vehicles with alleged defective door lock actuators);
Fuentes v. UniRush LLC, (S.D.N.Y.) (class action settlement on behalf of account holders who were unable to access funds during an extended service disruption);
McCoy v. North State Aviation, (M.D.NC) ($1.5 million settlement on behalf of hundreds of former employees for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) violations when they were fired without notice);
Hartley v. Sig Sauer, Inc., (W.D. Mo.) (class action settlement on behalf of purchasers of firearms with alleged safety defect that could result in unintentional firing);
Henderson v. Volvo Cars of North America LLC, (D.N.J.) (class action nationwide settlement on behalf of 90,000 purchasers and lessees of Volvo vehicles with defective GM4T65 automatic transmissions);
Klug v. Watts Regulatory Co., and Ponzo v. Watts Regulatory Co., (D. Neb.) ($14 million settlement on behalf of homeowners with defective toilet connectors and water heater connectors manufactured by Watts);
Lewis v. Green Dot Corp., (C.D. Cal.) (class action settlement on behalf of account holders who were unable to access funds during an extended service disruption);
Mendoza v. Hyundai Motor America, Inc., (N.D. Cal.) (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Hyundai Sonata vehicles with alleged connecting rod bearing defect resulting in engine failure);
Neale v. Volvo Cars of North America LLC, (D.N.J.) (certified class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Volvo vehicles with alleged defective sunroof water drainage systems);
In re: Rust-Oleum Restore Marketing, Sales Pracs. and Prods. Liab. Litig., (N.D. Ill.) ($9.3 million nationwide class action settlement on behalf of purchasers of defective deck product);
Tolmasoff v. General Motors, (E.D. MI.) ($6 million nationwide class action settlement on behalf of purchasers and lessees alleging overstated MPG);
Salcedo v. Subaru of America, Inc., (D.N.J.) (class action on behalf of tens of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Subaru vehicles with an alleged engine defect);
Whalen v. Ford Motor Co., (N.D. Cal.) (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Ford and Lincoln vehicles with alleged defective MyFord Touch infotainment systems that resulted in an estimated $17 million settlement); and
Yaeger v. Subaru of America, Inc., (D.N.J.) (class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of purchasers and lessees of certain Subaru vehicles with alleged oil consumption defect).
Joe has also contributed to numerous pro bono matters. While in law school, Joe volunteered with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. Recently, Joe has assisted survivors of clergy sex abuse with filing claims, coal miners laid off without notice, and local businesses with COVID-related relief.
Mr. Kenney received his J.D., cum laude, from Villanova University School of Law in 2013. While at Villanova, he was elected as a Managing Editor of Student Works for the Jeffrey S. Moorad Journal of Sports Law by his peers. As a staff writer, his comment, Showing On-Field Racism the Red Card: How the Use of Tort Law and Vicarious Liability Can Save the MLS from Joining the English Premier League on Racism Row, was selected for publication in the Spring 2012 Volume of the Journal. Prior to law school, he attended Ursinus College where he majored in politics and minored in international studies. Mr. Kenney was also a member of the men’s varsity soccer team at Ursinus.
Outside of the office, Mr. Kenney enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, watching soccer, and reading. Mr. Kenney also ran the Chicago Marathon in 2017.
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I acknowledge that my submission does not create an attorney-client relationship between me and Sauder Schelkopf LLC. Any attorney-client relationship we form would be confirmed in a separate writing.
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Practice Areas
Automotive Defects
Defective Products and Consumer Protection
Home Products and Construction Defects
Personal Injury
Sexual Misconduct and Gender Based Discrimination
Employee Rights
Whistleblowers
Dangerous Drugs
Defective Medical Devices
