About Our Firm

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BENJAMIN J. SWEET PITTSBURGH

Founding Firm Partner

Benjamin J. Sweet attorney, the founding firm Partner and a native Pittsburgher, represents Americans living with disabilities, consumers, investors and survivors of sexual abuse. Ben Sweet is Counsel of Record in O’Connor et al. v. Diocese of Pittsburgh, et al., the recently filed pro bono class action suit against eight Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania, including the Diocese of Pittsburgh, seeking the release of the Church’s extensive secret records which have been concealed from the public for decades. He also represents sexual abuse survivors in individual actions in federal, state and bankruptcy courts across the country.

In addition, Benjamin J. Sweet is currently lead counsel in several nationwide federal mobility disability class action cases asserting violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He served as Lead Counsel in the landmark case of Heinzl v. Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Inc., Civil Action No. 14-1455, 2016 WL 2347367 (W.D. Pa. 2016) which resulted in remediation of accessible parking facilities at more than 600 Cracker Barrel stores throughout the United States. In addition, Ben represents individuals and institutional clients in a wide variety of contexts, including in suits seeking better website and mobile application accessibility. Ben received his juris doctor, cum laude, from The Pennsylvania State University School of Law, and his BA, cum laude, from University Scholars Program (now the Schreyer Honors College) of The Pennsylvania State University. While in law school, Ben served as Articles Editor of the Penn State Law Review and was also awarded Best Oral Advocate and Best Team in the ATLA Mock Trial Competition.

Prior to returning to Pittsburgh to start his own practice, Ben was a partner at Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP in Philadelphia, one of the largest and most prestigious plaintiffs’ firms in the country, where he concentrated his practice exclusively in class action litigation, with an emphasis on federal securities litigation. He helped to obtain significant recoveries on behalf of class members in several nationwide class actions, including In re Tyco, Int’l Sec. Litig., No. 02-1335-B (D.N.H.) ($3.2 billion total recovery for class members, the largest ever recovery from a single corporate defendant in a federal securities action), In re Wachovia Preferred Securities and Bond/Notes Litig., No. 09-Civ. 6351 (RJS), (S.D.N.Y.) ($627 million recovery for class members) and In re CVS, Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 01-11464-JLT (D. Mass.) ($110 million recovery for class members).

Benjamin Sweet began his career in 2001 at Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh, where he focused on antitrust, securities and employment litigation.

Ben Sweet has been selected by his peers as a Pennsylvania SuperLawyers Rising Star or a Pennsylvania SuperLawyer every year since 2008.

When not practicing law, Ben is an active musician and recording artist who performs regularly with his bands Southside American and The Local. A Type I diabetic himself, Ben served on the Board of Directors of the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He is the father of daughter Riley Grace, 17, and son William DeRose, 13.

Ben is a frequent commentator on disability and sexual abuse law issues and has been quoted in numerous national media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Public Radio, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and U.S. News & World Report.

As Benjamin J. Sweet attorney explains:

“An important measure of any society is how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens. Americans living with disabilities are fortunate to enjoy the protections of our federal law but, sadly, more than 25 years after its enactment, in far too many facets of American life, the ADA’s protections have not yet been realized fully. As someone who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 20 years, I know first-hand the daily challenges a disability can present. As an advocate for others also living with disabilities, I view my role as that of protector; where the ADA’s protections have not been realized fully, I am there.”

BAR ADMISSIONS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Supreme Court of the United States

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for Third Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

United States District Court for the Western District of New York

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois

Representative Class Action Litigation

In re Tyco, Int’l Sec. Litig., No. 02-1335-B (D.N.H.) ($3.2 billion total recovery for class members, the largest ever recovery from a single corporate defendant in a federal securities action)

In re Wachovia Preferred Securities and Bond/Notes Litig., No. 09-Civ. 6351 (RJS), (S.D.N.Y.) ($627 million recovery for class members)

In re CVS, Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 01-11464-JLT (D. Mass.) ($110 million recovery for class members)

In re PNC Fin. Svcs. Group Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 02-CV-271 (W.D. Pa.) ($39 million recovery for class members)

In re McLeod USA Inc. Sec. Litig., No. C02-0001-MWB (N.D. Iowa) ($30 million recover for class members)

In re Wireless Facilities, Inc., Sec. Litig., 04-CV-1589 (S.D. Cal.) ($16.5 million recovery for class members)

In re Solectron Corp. Sec. Litig., No. C-03-0986-CRB (N.D. Cal.) ($15 million recovery for class members)

In re Zomax Inc. Sec. Litig. No. 04-1155 (DWF/SRN) (D. Minn.) ($9 million recovery for class members)

In re Michael Baker Corp. Sec. Litig., No. 08-cv-00370 (JFC) (W.D. Pa.) ($4.5 million recovery for class members)

In re DDi Corp. Sec. Litig., No. 03-7063-SGL (C.D. Cal.) ($4.4 million recovery for class members)

In re Flextronics Int, Ltd. Sec. Litig., No. C-03-2102-PJH (N.D. Cal.) ($4.25 million recovery for class members)

In re Thornburg Mortgage Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 07-815JB/WD, (D.N.M.) ($2 million recovery for class members)

DEAN P. HENRY

Investigations

Our Director of Investigations comes to us with a technical background, with a focus on specialized instrument calibration and application as well as standardized operating procedure development and findings reporting.

In 2001 Dean moved to Pittsburgh where he currently lives with his wife and daughter. Raised in Northern Ireland he studied Operations Management there and has worked in the quality assurance labs of European manufacturing giants Marconi and Ardex.

For the last five years, Dean has worked tirelessly as an advocate for the ADA on the ground level as an investigator and has helped bring real and long overdue change in providing equal access to goods and services for all.

In his spare time Dean writes, records and performs music in varying genres and enjoys kayaking and hiking with his family.

ANNIE DUNHAM

Annie Dunham is a dynamic, amiable and dedicated professional who has a passion for generating and building relationships. She enjoys managing projects from concept to completion and assisting individuals to success. Her career has spanned the course of 20 years with a focus in customer service and client relations. She is committed to providing superior service and instilling the trust and engagement with her clients. In 1987, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Saint Francis University .

Annie is married to Bill Dunham and together they have 3 grown children, Sara, Thomas and Katie. In her free time, she enjoys the process of a home project. She loves all things to do with the function and beauty of the home and advises her husband in his business, Dunham Home Solutions. She also is an accomplished baker who studied under a Swedish pastry chef.

Benjamin J. Sweet Attorney

Schedule a consultation with Benjamin Sweet by emailing or calling today. You can also use our confidential form to submit your request.

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ben@sweetlawpc.com

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(412) 742-0631

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