First Admitted: 2015, Washington DC

Professional Webpage: https://www.sanfordheisler.com/team/leigh-anne-st-charles/

Bar/Professional Activity:

Tennessee, 2018
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, 2019
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, 2018
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2017
District of Columbia, 2015

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

Leigh Anne was co-counsel for the plaintiffs on Manlove, et al. v. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, et al. (1:18-cv-145) a class and collective action filed under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Tennessee Human Rights Act in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee against Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (“Volkswagen AG”) and two wholly owned subsidiaries, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., and Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, LLC. The Complaint, which only sought injunctive relief, alleged that the German automaker engaged in a company-wide policy of age discrimination against employees 50 years and older. The named Plaintiff was a former assistant manager at Volkswagen AG's Chattanooga, Tenn. auto manufacturing plant who was demoted as part of a company-wide policy to displace older workers, the Complaint alleged. After the Class was granted certification by the Court in 2019, a settlement was reached in 2020 in which Volkswagen agreed to implement significant programmatic measures and reforms to remedy the discriminatory policy and practices alleged by the Class., 2020
Leigh Anne was part of the team that obtained an $8.3M arbitration award, including $1.1 million in punitive/emotional distress damages, on behalf of Claimant Dr. Yuhui David Chen against Silicon Valley semiconductor company InnoGrit Corporation, its parent company Shanghai InnoGrit Technologies Co., Ltd., and InnoGrit CEO Dr. Zining Wu. The arbitrator found that Dr. Wu and InnoGrit made and then disregarded false promises and representations to grant Dr. Chen a 20% equity share of the company, and in doing so committed both breach of contract and fraud. Further, in light of Dr. Wu’s fraudulent, dishonorable conduct, the arbitrator held him personally liable for punitive damages as a punishment meant to “actively discourage” him “from trying to deceive and manipulate others (including other employees of InnoGrit) in the future.” The final award was the culmination of a years-long legal battle following Dr. Chen’s original complaint filed in Santa Clara Superior Court on October 31, 2018. , 2021

Representative Clients:

Leigh Anne is co-lead counsel on Snyder v. UnitedHealth Group (0:21-CV-01049 (JRT/BRT), a class action filed on behalf of some 150,000 individuals under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The Complaint alleges that the defendant health insurance giant UnitedHealth breached fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty under ERISA by failing to remove a chronically under-performing Wells Fargo Suite as default investments on the company 401(k) plan. The Complaint alleges that UnitedHealth's chief financial officer and executive leadership personally intervened to keep the poorly performing Suite because Wells Fargo is a major financier and customer for UnitedHealth. The matter is currently headed to trial, after the Court mostly denied UnitedHealth's motion for summary judgment. , 2024
Leigh Anne is co-counsel for the plaintiff class on Cutrone v. The Allstate Corp., et al. (1:20 CV 6463) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, a class action brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The Complaint alleges not only that Allstate failed to monitor under-performing target date funds in its 401(k) retirement plan, but also that Allstate allowed two fund investment advisers to charge unreasonable fees and that it ignored a kickback scheme between one of the advisers and the plan's recordkeeper. The plaintiff class consists of approximately 44,000 current and former plan participants and their beneficiaries. , 2024

Honors/Awards:

Business Insider Rising Star, 2022
The 22nd annual award recognizes women who have "shattered the glass ceiling" and are "lifting others as they climb" in their careers. , Profiles in Diversity Journal Women Worth Watching in Leadership Award, https://issuu.com/diversityjournal/docs/pdj-q3_23/120, 2023
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch – Recognized for work in the field of "Employment Law - Individuals", 2021
Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch – Recognized for work in the field of "Labor and Employment Law – Employee, 2022
Mid-South Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2020
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers in America, 2021
Mid-South Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2019

Educational Background:

B.A., Western Kentucky University, 2010

Leigh Anne St. Charles