Benefits

May 28, 2024
Chicken Buyers Defend Additional $37M Atty Fee Ask

Direct chicken buyers who have inked more than $284 million in price-fixing settlements defended their counsel's request for more than $37 million in what would be their third payout in the massive case, saying the request is consistent with both precedent and past experience.
May 28, 2024
Qualcomm Can't Knock Out 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

Qualcomm Inc. must face a proposed class action alleging it used ex-employees' forfeited 401(k) funds to reduce company plan contributions rather than cover participants' expenses, with a California federal judge finding Qualcomm might have violated federal benefits law even if it was following the plan's terms.
May 28, 2024
Seeger Weiss Secures Latest Fee Bid In NFL Concussion Case

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday granted Seeger Weiss LLP's latest fee request for close to $1.9 million in attorney fees and costs for its ongoing work implementing an agreement settling former National Football League players' concussion-linked disability claims.
May 28, 2024
Insurers Sue To Invalidate DOL ERISA Investment Advice Rule

The American Council of Life Insurers and other insurance groups accused the U.S. Department of Labor's recently finalized retirement investment advice regulations of exceeding DOL authority and violating federal administrative procedure laws in the second such suit filed in Texas court.
May 24, 2024
Petition Watch: Forum Shopping, Monopolies & Gun Safety

Law360 looks at four U.S. Supreme Court petitions filed in the past two weeks, including the FDA's request that the justices curb an increase in forum shopping at the Fifth Circuit, and two veterinarians who want the justices to allow plaintiffs to pursue antitrust claims for actions allegedly leading to the creation of a monopoly.
May 24, 2024
Engineering Co. Mismanaged 401(k) Plan, Ex-Worker Says

An engineering company forced participants in its $5.1 billion retirement plan to pay lofty administrative fees by automatically enrolling them into expensive managed account programs, thereby breaching federal benefits law, according to a proposed class action filed in Virginia federal court Friday.
May 24, 2024
Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List

President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.
May 24, 2024
ERISA Arbitration Backers See Hope In 2nd Circ. Dissent

A split Second Circuit panel backed workers — and joined three other circuits — when it rejected an attempt to force a proposed class action Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit into individual arbitration, but employers are seizing on a dissent from the recent ruling to try to turn the tide.
May 24, 2024
2nd Circ. Wary Of Deloitte Workers' 401(k) Suit Revival Bid

The Second Circuit appeared reluctant Friday to revive a proposed class action against Deloitte alleging workers' employee 401(k) plans were weighed down by excessive recordkeeping fees, with multiple judges on a panel pointing to a lack of specific cost comparisons to other plans in an amended complaint.
May 23, 2024
'New' Facts Don't Permit Do-Over, Kraft-Heinz Tells Chancery

An institutional shareholder of The Kraft-Heinz Co. is not entitled to a "do-over" on an insider trading lawsuit that Delaware's Court of Chancery dismissed in 2021 because the supposed "new evidence" it offers isn't actually new and wouldn't have made any difference in the case, the company said Thursday.
May 23, 2024
Apple Investor Again Seeks Green Light For $490M Settlement

An Apple Inc. investor has asked a California federal judge to revisit a $490 million settlement deal that would end claims the tech giant misled investors about iPhone sales in China, telling the court that it had addressed the judge's critique that parts of the relevant filings were "convoluted."
May 23, 2024
Union Fund Trustees Fight DOL Mismanagement Suit

Two trustees of an embattled union life insurance fund have asked an Illinois federal judge to toss the U.S. Department of Labor's claims that they let a fellow trustee siphon about $2.6 million and amended the fund's rules to shield themselves from liability.
May 23, 2024
Conn. To Expand Paid Sick Leave To Smaller Businesses

More employees in Connecticut will soon become eligible for paid sick leave after the state's governor gave his blessing on a bill that expands the state's time-off requirements to include smaller businesses.
May 23, 2024
Humana Defeats ERISA Challenge To Retirement Plan Fees

Humana Inc. defeated a class action claiming it failed to make sure its $6.5 billion employee retirement plan was paying reasonable administrative and recordkeeping fees, with a Kentucky federal judge ruling Thursday there was nothing wrong with how the insurance company oversaw the plan.
May 23, 2024
DOL Says 11th Circ. 'Alone' In ERISA Internal Remedy Stance

The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Eleventh Circuit to reinstate a lawsuit from former seafood company workers who claimed their employee stock ownership plan was overcharged in a $92 million deal, saying they didn't jump the gun by suing instead of pursuing claims internally.
May 23, 2024
UBH Urges 9th Circ. To Take Up Petition In Health Claim Fight

United Behavioral Health implored the Ninth Circuit to grant the insurance company's petition for appellate court intervention in a consolidated action alleging mismanagement of mental health and substance use disorder treatment claims, arguing a California federal court clearly erred by allowing further pleadings on a denial of benefits claim.
May 23, 2024
Estate Sues Hanover For $13.4M Judgment In Death Suit

The Hanover Insurance Group has refused to pay a judgment of nearly $13.4 million to the family of a man who died in the care of a Connecticut group home, according to a lawsuit in state court.
May 22, 2024
American Air Pilots Win Cert. Over 401(k)'s ESG Investments

A Texas federal judge on Wednesday certified a class of pilots accusing American Airlines of packing its $26 billion retirement plan with investments that focused too heavily on environmental, social and governance factors, like climate change, and too little on financial returns.
May 22, 2024
Conn. Judge Doubts Restaurant's Insurance Beef Is Stale

Connecticut's chief intermediate appellate court judge appeared skeptical Wednesday of Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.'s position that a restaurant is barred from suing over the denial of coverage for a worker's hand injury, suggesting that previous litigation over the worker's compensation policy has no bearing on the current suit.
May 22, 2024
Robbins Geller, Motley Rice Seek To Rep Solar Co. Investors

Motley Rice LLC and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP want to represent investors of energy company Shoals Technologies Group Inc. in consolidated proposed class action claims taking aim at the company and its brass and underwriters for allegedly concealing costly issues with wires in its products.
May 22, 2024
IT Co. Can't Sink Fired Worker's FMLA Retaliation Suit

A Florida federal judge declined to hand an information technology company an early win in a former worker's suit claiming he was fired after he took medical leave to treat anxiety, ruling that there are enough disputes over whether the company acted illegally to send the case to trial.
May 22, 2024
Justices' CFPB Alliance May Save SEC Courts, Not Chevron

A four-justice concurrence to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unique funding scheme last week carries implications for other cases pending before the court that challenge the so-called administrative state, or the permanent cadre of regulatory agencies and career government enforcers who hold sway over vast swaths of American economic life.
May 22, 2024
Carpenter Sues Union Healthcare Plan After Losing Coverage

A union healthcare plan violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act when it stopped working with a Bay Area insulation company whose union contract expired, a new proposed class action filed in California federal court alleges.
May 22, 2024
1st Circ. Affirms UBS Win In Puerto Rico Pension Fight

The First Circuit said public pensioners in Puerto Rico can't advance their claims that UBS Financial Services illegally underwrote $3 billion in bonds, ruling that the island's financial restructuring plan transferred the right to those claims to a special committee.
May 22, 2024
Energy Contractor Can't Get Quick Appeal In 401(k) Suit

A Texas federal judge refused to allow an energy contractor to immediately appeal a decision declining to dismiss a proposed class action accusing it of stacking its retirement plan with underperforming funds, saying allowing the Fifth Circuit to weigh in now would only slow down the litigation.

Expert Analysis

Justice O'Connor Was Architect of ERISA's Lasting Success

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor laid the foundations of Employee Retirement Income Security Act jurisprudence, defining a default standard of review, preemption rules and the act's interplay with employment law, through opinions that are still instructive as ERISA approaches its 50th anniversary, says José Jara at Fox Rothschild.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024

Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
Disability Benefits Ruling Holds Claim Evaluation Lessons

In Haynes v. Principal Life Insurance, a Texas federal court recently overturned a disability benefits denial, providing both claimants and insurers with valuable insight on what constitutes a valid benefits claim, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
5 Securities Litigation Issues To Watch In 2024

There is yet another exciting year ahead for securities litigation, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing argument next week in a case presenting a key securities class action question that has eluded review for the last eight years, say attorneys at Willkie.
4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
3 Compliance Reminders For Calif. Employers In 2024

As we enter into the new year, several recent updates to California employment law — including minimum wage and sick leave requirements — necessitate immediate compliance actions for employers, says Daniel Pyne at Hopkins & Carley.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
Lessons Learned From 2023's Top ADA Decisions

This year saw the courts delving into the complexities of employee accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in the post-pandemic workplace, going beyond bright-line rules with fact-intensive inquiries that are likely to create uncertainty for employers, says Linda Dwoskin at Dechert.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.