Craig J. Staudenmaier
Craig Staudenmaier concentrates his practice in the areas of state and federal litigation and media law. He routinely represents clients in all phases of the litigation process, including mediation and arbitration. As an experienced trial lawyer, he has tried numerous cases to verdict in favor of his clients in both the state and the federal courts.
Craig specializes in the representation of Class 1 regional and shortline railroads in all types of litigation, including employee claims under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), crossing accidents, trespassers and property damage. He has represented clients in the trial courts of approximately twenty-six counties in Pennsylvania and has successfully argued cases before the Commonwealth, Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania, as well as the Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Craig also routinely represents the print and broadcast media, businesses and private individuals in public records and open meetings access matters and issues involving the subpoena of reporters, privacy and defamation claims. He is the Chairman of the firm's Right-to-Know Practice Group and is Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Bar/Press Committee.
Practice Highlights:
- Successfully represented a Class 1 railroad in a unanimous decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reaffirming the occupied crossing rule as a complete bar to recovery and finding for the first time Pennsylvania's blocked crossing statute pre-empted under the Federal Rail Safety Act. Krentz v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 910 A.2d 20 (2006).
- Successfully represented a Class 1 railroad in obtaining judgment as a matter of law at trial in a FELA case affirmed by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Castro v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 46 F.3d 1115 (3rd Cir. 1994).
- Successfully represented a Class 1 railroad in summary judgment of a trespasser rendered a paraplegic. Barr v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 1999 WL 554598 (E.D. Pa.)
- Numerous defense verdicts in crossing accident wrongful death cases.
- Successfully represented Patriot-News before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court where the salary information of Penn State employees belonging to the state retirement system was found to be a public record, including that of head football coach, Joe Paterno. Penn State University v. State Employees' Retirement Board, 935 A.2d 530 (2007).
- Successfully represented Patriot-News, Associated Press and WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, in decision holding PHEAA Board retreat expenditures were public record and first appellate decision in Pennsylvania to award over $48,000 in counsel fees for willful failure of a state agency to release public records. Parsons, et al. v. PHEAA, 910 A.2d 177 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006).
- Successfully represented newspaper in opening meetings of Empowerment Teams of Harrisburg and Steelton-Highspire School Districts as agencies under Sunshine Act. Patriot-News Co. v. Empowerment Team of Harrisburg School Dist., 763 A.2d 539 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2000).
- Representation of various print and broadcast media personnel in quashing subpoenas requiring testimony regarding sources and other unpublished information.
Publications:
- RIGHT TO KNOW....SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
- The Effects of Pennsylvania's New Right to Know Law on the Business Community - What You Don't Know Will Hurt You
Nauman Smith Shissler & Hall, LLP
200 North 3rd Street, 18th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101
717.236.3010
fax: 717.234.1925
info@nssh.com