Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP

10/06/2026

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is proud to participate in the 78th Annual NYU Conference on Labor & Employment Law: Policy & Practice, taking place October 15–16 at NYU School of Law.

On Day 1, Kate Mueting, Firm Administrative Partner and Co-Chair of our Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group, will introduce Hon. Jonathan Berry, U.S. Solicitor of Labor, for the conference’s morning keynote address.

Hosted by the Center for Labor and Employment Law, the conference brings together leading practitioners and experts to discuss emerging issues and developments in labor and employment law, including workplace investigations, AI in employment decision-making, discrimination and harassment, labor law developments, and more.

We look forward to being part of this important forum for conversation and the exchange of ideas in labor and employment law.

Event details and registration information are available through the link in the comments.

10/05/2026

We are delighted to welcome Emily Given to Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight as a Partner in our Washington, D.C. office.

Emily joins the firm after nearly a decade as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where she handled complex employment matters involving workplace discrimination, hostile work environments, discriminatory hiring practices, and unequal pay.

At Sanford Heisler, Emily will represent workers in complex litigation and mediation, with a particular focus on employment discrimination, workplace civil rights, and other employment disputes. She will also contribute to the firm’s work addressing emerging issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence and employment law.

Emily told Law360, reflecting on her time at DOJ and her commitment to advancing workers’ rights, that she sees her new role at Sanford Heisler “as very much a continuation . . . of those values."

We are thrilled to have Emily’s experience, perspective, and commitment to civil rights advocacy on our team.

Read more about Emily’s arrival at Sanford Heisler in Law360: https://www.law360.com/pulse/daily-litigation/articles/2524759/sanford-heisler-hires-ex-doj-litigator-as-partner-in-dc

09/22/2026

For more than 20 years, the Women’s Bar Association Foundation has worked to advance opportunities for women in the legal profession, supporting the next generation of women lawyers through philanthropy, mentorship, and community grants.

Again this year, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is proud to be a VIP Sponsor of the Foundation’s annual W**e Tasting & Silent Auction, which will be taking place on Thursday, October 22nd.

We are looking forward to a wonderful event and celebrating and supporting the Women’s Bar Association Foundation’s meaningful work!

Event details can be found here:

WBA Foundation 2026 W**e Tasting & Silent Auction

09/18/2026

We have filed a lawsuit against Pembroke Hill School and former teacher Michael Jones on behalf of a former student who alleges she was sexually abused by Jones during her fourth-grade year.

The complaint alleges that Pembroke had notice of prior allegations concerning Jones before hiring him, as well as additional reports about his conduct after the alleged abuse.

“What happened to my client was entirely preventable. Pembroke was on notice that this teacher was a danger to children, yet they allowed him unfettered access to children,” said Christine Dunn, Managing Partner of our Washington, D.C. office and Co-Chair of our Sexual Violence, Title IX, and Victims’ Rights Practice Group.

“As a result of Pembroke’s negligent failure to keep its students safe, a young girl endured extreme trauma and emotional distress that continues to this day - even years after the abuse.”

Christine Dunn and Jillian Seymour represent the plaintiff, alongside local counsel Jarrett Johnson.

Read more about the case and the allegations: https://sanfordheisler.com/case/sexual-violence-litigation/child-victim-allegedly-sexually-abused-by-teacher-at-pembroke-hill-school-alleged-pattern-of-sexual-misconduct-at-issue/.

Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight today filed a lawsuit in Missouri state court against Pembroke Hill School (“Pembroke”), a private preparatory school in Kansas City, and former Pembroke teacher Michael Jones, on behalf of Jane Doe, a child victim who alleges she was sexually abused d...

09/15/2026

We are proud to announce that San Diego Partner Michelle Wasserman has been selected as a member of the 2026 Women Worth Watching in Leadership Class by Profiles in Leadership Journal—a recognition for “purpose-driven change-makers who inspire others [and mentor] the next generation, challeng[e] conventional ideas, and contribut[e] to a better world for all.”

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Michelle!

You can find Michelle’s Profile here: https://sanfordheisler.com/team/michelle-wasserman/.

09/15/2026

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is proud to congratulate Palo Alto and San Francisco Managing Partner Qiaojing Ella Zheng on her selection to the 2026 Asian Leadership Class by Profiles in Leadership Journal™.

The 2026 Asian Leadership Class recognizes distinguished leaders for their remarkable achievements and contributions to the legal profession. Ella’s selection reflects a career defined by exceptional advocacy, trailblazing leadership, and a commitment to advancing justice for historically underserved communities.

Ella is one of the nation’s leading plaintiff-side employment and civil rights litigators and Chair of the Firm’s Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group—the first and only dedicated practice of its kind at a national civil rights firm. She has led high-impact employment and whistleblower matters involving prominent Silicon Valley companies, including securing a significant verdict in the Innogrit litigation and recently filing Kim v. xAI, a whistleblower matter.

Beyond her litigation practice, Ella is a nationally recognized advocate for AANHPI communities and a leading voice on workplace rights, women’s leadership, and access to justice.

We are delighted to see Ella’s extraordinary leadership and contributions to the legal profession recognized through the 2026 Asian Leadership Class. Congratulations, Ella, on this well-deserved honor!

09/15/2026

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is proud to congratulate Partner and Trial Practice Group Co-Chair Meghan Heesch on her selection to the 2026 Legal Leadership Class by Profiles in Leadership Journal™.

The annual Legal Leadership Class recognizes accomplished attorneys whose careers reflect exceptional achievement, leadership, and impact in the legal profession. Meghan’s selection is a fitting recognition of a career defined by courtroom excellence, fearless advocacy, and a deep commitment to clients facing extraordinary circumstances.

Before joining Sanford Heisler, Meghan served as an Immigration Judge and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, where she presided over hundreds of contested trials and led complex international investigations, including Operation Trojan Shield, a landmark DOJ, FBI, and Australian Federal Police investigation that resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.

Today, Meghan brings that formidable trial experience—and the empathy and attentiveness that have defined her career—to advocating for employees in high-stakes matters involving discrimination, retirement security, and workplace misconduct.

We are delighted to see Meghan’s leadership and contributions to the legal profession recognized through the 2026 Legal Leadership Class. Congratulations, Meghan!

09/03/2026

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight has filed a $168 million class action complaint against CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. and its fiduciaries in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The lawsuit is on behalf of the CGI Technologies retirement plan and its participants and alleges that CGI violated their fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by failing to remove a poorly performing fund in its retirement savings plan for more than a decade.

Specifically, the Complaint alleges that CGI failed to remove the Columbia Trust Focused Large Cap Growth Institutional 100 Fund from the Plan despite persistent, long-term underperformance since its introduction to the Plan in 2014. From 2014 to February 17, 2025, the Columbia Fund underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, by about 228%. From September 1, 2020, to February 28, 2026, the Columbia Fund lagged the Russell 1000 Growth by more than 61%, or over 7% annually. As a result of this process, the Complaint alleges CGI’s plan lost over $168,000,000 relative to what it could have earned in another fund that only matched the investment returns of the Russell 1000 Growth.

Under ERISA, plan fiduciaries have a duty to monitor investment options and remove funds that consistently underperform. The complaint asserts that a prudent fiduciary would have removed this fund years ago.

Our Financial Services Litigation Practice Group, led by Co-Vice Chairman Charles Field and Nashville Managing Partner Leigh Anne St. Charles, has brought similar cases against UnitedHealth, General Electric, Walgreens, and Transamerica — recovering more than $150 million for plan participants.

If you are a current or former CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. employee with questions about your retirement plan, reach out. All inquiries are confidential.

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, filed a $168 Million Complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleging that CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. and its fiduciaries violated ERISA by keeping a poorly performing fund in its retirement savings plan for more than a deca...

08/20/2026

We are thrilled to announce that 13 attorneys across our New York, DC, Nashville, and La Jolla offices have been recognized in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America!

For more than four decades, The Best Lawyers in America has been one of the legal profession’s most respected peer-reviewed distinctions, recognizing attorneys based on the confidential evaluations of their fellow lawyers. The 2027 edition represents the 33rd edition of the publication, with recognition limited to a highly selective group of legal professionals across the United States.

The Best Lawyers in America – 2027
Congratulations to Christine Dunn, H. Vincent McKnight Jr., John McKnight, Kate Mueting, David Sanford, and Kevin H. Sharp on this well-deserved recognition.

Our attorneys were recognized across several practice areas, including Employment Law – Individuals, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Qui Tam Law, and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America – 2027
We are equally proud to celebrate Cara Van Dorn, Ting Cheung, Kate MacMullin, Alok Nadig, Nicole Wiitala, Jonathan Tepe, and Kasi Wautlet on their recognition.

Their recognition spans Labor and Employment Law – Employee and Litigation – Labor and Employment, reflecting the exceptional work they do on behalf of employees and workers.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of our recognized attorneys! These honors reflect their outstanding legal skill, dedication to their clients, and commitment to advancing justice. We are incredibly proud to have them on our team and look forward to celebrating this achievement with them.

08/10/2026

An insurance plan can cover fertility treatment and still make it impossible for same-sex couples to qualify.

That is the allegation at the center of Kulwicki v. Aetna. Tara Kulwicki, a le***an nurse, was denied IUI precertification because she could not meet her plan’s definition of “infertile” — a year of unprotected heterosexual in*******se or twelve cycles of artificial insemination. The plan defined “unprotected sex” as exclusively between a man and a woman, so same-sex couples had no way to satisfy the definition. Kulwicki thus faced thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for treatment before qualifying for coverage.

Aetna has tried to get Kulwicki’s case dismissed, but in September 2025, the court denied Aetna's motion to dismiss, finding factual disputes with Aetna's role in writing the plan’s definition. Kulwicki's class action is proceeding.

Meanwhile, 53% of LGBTQ+ adults live in states with no private-insurer fertility mandate, and a single IVF cycle can run past $18,000 in out-of-pocket costs.

Ting Cheung, Isabelle Megosh, and Lily Miller wrote about what Kulwicki’s case and similar cases mean for LGBTQ+ workers on Washington Blade: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/08/07/opinion-pregnant-workers-discrimination/.