Emily E. St. Cyr

Emily St. Cyr is a partner in the Vorys Cincinnati office and a member of the litigation group, whose practice focuses primarily on the defense of class actions and other complex litigation.  She represents insurers, health care organizations, public entities and other businesses in consumer protection, insurance, employment and commercial class actions in state and federal courts across the country.  Emily also represents clients in complex commercial arbitrations, employment litigation and appellate matters, including before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Notable experience includes:

• Obtaining a 7-2 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the petitioner in Marietta Mem'l Hosp. Emp. Health Ben. Plan v. DaVita Inc., 142 S. Ct. 1968 (2022)

• Defending life, health and other insurers and financial services companies in class actions involving consumer protection and deceptive trade practices statutes, advertising, sales practices, cost-of-insurance and premium rate increases, policy administration, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud-based claims
• Defeating or narrowing class claims through early motion practice, including factual challenges to named plaintiffs’ Article III standing under Rule 12(b)(1), motions to dismiss and motions to deny class certification
• Opposing class certification by developing the factual and expert record on commonality, predominance, typicality and adequacy under Rule 23
• Managing post-certification proceedings, including absent class member discovery, ESI preservation, expert development and trial preparation
• Representing insurers and employer health plans in large, complex commercial arbitrations, including American Arbitration Association Large, Complex Case proceedings involving stop-loss insurance and reimbursement disputes
• Representing a public transit authority in employment litigation and agency charge defense, obtaining charge dismissals, favorable settlements and summary judgment in a federal retaliation case
• Obtaining a bench trial verdict for an employer on claims for breach of non-competition agreements, including a post-trial award of attorneys’ fees and costs
• Obtaining and defending preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders in cases involving breach of contract, trade secrets and restrictive covenants
• Securing dismissal and summary judgment for clients in state and federal courts, and obtaining contractual and statutory fee awards
• Drafting jurisdictional and merits briefs in federal and Ohio appellate courts, including the Ohio Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court

Emily is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she teaches MDLs, Class Actions and Other Complex Litigation. 

Emily has a longstanding commitment to wrongful conviction work.  She was part of the Vorys pro bono team whose work led to the dismissal of all charges against a man who spent nearly 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit.  The team’s work on the case contributed to the firm receiving the Exceptional Service Award from the American Bar Association’s Death Penalty Representation Project in 2025.  Emily serves on the Board of Advocates of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.  She was an Ohio Innocence Project fellow as a law student.

Honors & Recognitions

The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2023–2027; Labor and Employment Law – Management, 2023–2027; Trusts and Estates, 2021–2027

Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Civil Litigation, 2022–2027

Professional & Community Activities

Chair of the Young Professionals Board for the Ohio Innocence Project (pro tempore member of the Ohio Innocence Project at Cincinnati Law Board of Advocates)

Cincinnati Bar Association, Member

Business Leaders of Cincinnati, Board Member, 2022-2024

iSpace, Board Member, 2015-2016

Cincinnati Bar Association, Membership Committee for the Young Lawyer’s Section, Co-Chair, 2015-2016

Previously certified as a Title IX Investigator by the Association of Title IX Administrators