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Benefits
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May 03, 2024
Lennar Workers Say 2nd Circ. Ruling Backs Their ERISA View
Workers who sued Lennar Corp. in a proposed class action over mismanaging their $1.2 billion retirement plan have urged a Florida federal court to deny the company's motion for dismissal, saying a recent appellate ruling doesn't allow the employer to enforce an arbitration provision because it violates federal pension law.
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May 03, 2024
Chancery OKs Record-Breaking $100M Pattern Energy Deal
A $100 million settlement ending state and federal court litigation over Pattern Energy Group Inc.'s $6.1 billion go-private sale in 2020 got the nod from Delaware's Court of Chancery on Friday, along with a requested $26 million fee award and two $25,000 incentive awards for the lead shareholder plaintiffs.
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May 03, 2024
Aetna To Pay $2M To End LGBTQ Fertility Coverage Suit
A group of Aetna policyholders said Friday that the insurance giant has agreed to pay $2 million and revise certain health insurance guidelines to settle a proposed class action alleging its definition of infertility made it difficult and expensive for LGBTQ couples to obtain coverage for fertility treatments.
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May 03, 2024
Car Loan Co. Strikes Deal In Employee Stock Valuation Suit
A car loan company has agreed to resolve a proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law when it revalued its stock at the start of the pandemic and forced retirees to sell their shares at a lower value, according to a California federal court filing.
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May 02, 2024
Chicken Buyers Request $37M More In Price-Fixing Deal Fees
Direct broiler chicken purchasers who've inked more than $284 million in price-fixing settlements are asking an Illinois federal judge for more than $37 million in what would be a third distribution of fees and reimbursed costs to their co-lead counsel in the massive case.
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May 02, 2024
6th Circ. Appears Reluctant To Kick 401(k) Suit To Arbitration
A Sixth Circuit panel seemed likely Thursday to deny two auto part companies' bid to compel arbitration of a lawsuit from workers who say their retirement savings were mismanaged, though the judges appeared divided on the broader question of whether retirement plans may force planwide claims into individual arbitration.
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May 02, 2024
DOL Hit With First Lawsuit Over New Investment Advice Regs
The U.S. Department of Labor was hit with a lawsuit Thursday in Texas federal court seeking to invalidate recently finalized regulations that broaden who qualifies as a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, marking the first-filed legal challenge since the agency's late-April final release.
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May 02, 2024
Colo. Panel Says COVID Can Trigger Workers' Compensation
A Colorado appellate court panel on Thursday ruled for the first time that COVID-19 can be considered an "occupational disease" under the state's workers' compensation law and affirmed the award of benefits to a woman whose husband died of the novel coronavirus while working at a skilled nursing facility.
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May 02, 2024
4th Circ. Revives Workers' Suit Over SC Plant Explosion
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday revived claims from three workers burned in an explosion at a plastic recycling plant, saying the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Law can't deprive the federal courts of diversity jurisdiction in a case where they would otherwise have it.
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May 02, 2024
4th Circ. Finds Judge Appointment Legit In Black Lung Case
The Fourth Circuit ruled that an administrative law judge who presided over a black lung benefits case was properly reappointed by the U.S. Department of Labor, rejecting Dominion Coal Corp.'s contention that his seating violated the Constitution's appointments clause.
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May 02, 2024
Davis Wright Brings On MoFo Appellate Litigator In San Fran
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has brought on a former Morrison Foerster LLP partner in San Francisco, strengthening its appellate practice with an experienced appellate litigator who clerked for a U.S. Supreme Court justice, a California Supreme Court justice and other judges, the firm announced Thursday.
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May 02, 2024
Chiropractor Gets 6 Mos. For Defrauding NBA With 'Big Baby'
A Manhattan federal judge sentenced an Atlanta chiropractor Thursday to six months in prison for going along with former Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis' fraudulent plan to bill the NBA for $112,000 of services that were never performed.
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May 01, 2024
Sens. Slam UnitedHealth's Security Lapses, Breach Response
UnitedHealth's top executive faced heavy criticism during his first appearance before a U.S. Senate committee since a cyberattack rocked its Change Healthcare subsidiary, with lawmakers blasting the company for lacking basic security measures and for still not being able to confirm the scale and scope of the incident.
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May 01, 2024
Pa. Justices Asked To Determine If Workers' Comp Covers CBD
An attorney representing himself — and, in a way, suing himself — will get an opportunity to convince the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that CBD oil and other nonprescription medicine should be covered by workers' compensation, according to a Tuesday order from the justices.
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May 01, 2024
Ala., Fla. Trans Patients Urge 11th Circ. To Heed Bias Ruling
Attorneys representing transgender clients in Florida and Alabama have urged the Eleventh Circuit to heed a recent Fourth Circuit ruling striking down bans on state-funded coverage for gender-affirming medical care, saying the court ruled that the state policies violate federal law because their exclusions were based on gender identity and sex.
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May 01, 2024
5 Benefits Appellate Arguments To Watch In May
The Second Circuit will be asked to revive a 401(k) mismanagement suit against Deloitte, the Sixth Circuit will consider whether to force arbitration of a 401(k) fee suit against two automotive companies, and the Seventh Circuit will review the U.S. Department of Labor's court-ordered takeover of a multiemployer benefit fund. Here, Law360 looks at five appellate arguments benefits attorneys will want to keep an eye on this month.
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May 01, 2024
Ex-Execs End Fight Over Syska Hennessy Stock Buyback Deal
A former associate vice president and a managing director at engineering firm Syska Hennessy have ended their lawsuit alleging that the company made up a story about the pair soliciting employees to get out of buying back company stock.
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May 01, 2024
Split 2nd Circ. Backs Arbitration Denial In ERISA Suit
A divided Second Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that a group of financial services companies can't compel individual arbitration of a proposed class action accusing them of overcharging an employee stock ownership plan, saying that doing so would prevent a plan participant from seeking planwide remedies authorized by federal benefits law.
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May 01, 2024
Del. Justices Reverse Toss Of $7.3B Inovalon Deal Challenge
Delaware's top court on Wednesday reversed a Chancery Court dismissal of stockholder challenges to the $7.3 billion go-private sale of Inovalon Holdings Inc. to Nordic Capital, saying that the lower court wrongly concluded that minority investors were adequately informed about the deal and special committee conflicts of interest.
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May 01, 2024
Globe Life Hid Toxic Culture And Policy Fraud, Investors Say
Life insurance company Globe Life Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action alleging investors were damaged when a short-seller report revealed that the company had been ignoring rampant sexual harassment among its employees and participating in fraudulent underwriting practices.
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May 01, 2024
Ohio Justices Say Workers' Comp Appeal Didn't Expire
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed an injured Whirlpool Corp. worker to continue his appeal of an order denying him additional workers' compensation coverage, saying the state Industrial Commission's five-year limit on jurisdiction doesn't apply to his appeal in state court.
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May 01, 2024
Dish Agrees To Class Cert. In 401(k) Mismanagement Suit
Dish Network and a group of former workers told a Colorado federal judge they've agreed that class treatment is the best fit for a lawsuit claiming the company failed to trim an underperforming Fidelity Freedom Fund target date suite from its retirement plan that cost workers millions in savings.
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May 01, 2024
NBA Vet Eyes Bail As Healthcare Rap Passed To 2nd Circ.
A former Detroit Pistons point guard is seeking to delay the start of his 18-month prison sentence for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud the NBA's healthcare plan while he argues to the Second Circuit that improper jury instructions tainted his trial.
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May 01, 2024
Acting Labor Sec. Defends Status, Rules At Tense Hearing
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su defended her U.S. Department of Labor role and recent agency rules at a U.S. House committee hearing on Wednesday from Republicans who accused her of serving through a "loophole" and who questioned the legality of actions under her leadership.
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May 01, 2024
NC Lawmakers Seek $231M Boost For Retired Judges, Others
North Carolina legislators offered Wednesday a $231 million proposal to raise the retirement benefits for judicial and other former state workers, framing it as a cost-of-living adjustment that would become effective July 1.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory
Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.
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4 Employer Action Steps For New Mental Health Parity Rules
A recently released guidance under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act reiterated that employers contracting with outside service providers to administer their health plans are not relieved of their compliance obligations — so all employers sponsoring a group health plan should consider four action items for success, say attorneys at Ice Miller.
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Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid
As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.
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What Calif. 'Take-Home' COVID Ruling Means For Employers
The California Supreme Court’s recent holding in Kuciemba v. Victory that employers are not liable for the spread of COVID-19 to nonemployee household members reflects a sensible policy position, but shouldn't be seen as a sea-change in the court's employee-friendly approach, say Brian Johnsrud and Brandon Rainey at Duane Morris.
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Benefits Ruling Has ERISA Review Standard Red Flags
The Eighth Circuit’s recent McIntyre v. Reliance Standard decision, reversing a nurse's disability benefits win, applies a deferential standard of review that conflicts with rulings issued by other federal circuit courts, and raises concerns about whether the law’s intent is being met, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Perspectives
Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice
Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.
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Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too
While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.
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Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions
As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.
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Understanding Illinois' Temp Worker Obligation Updates
Recent amendments to the Illinois Day and Temporary Labor Services Act would significantly expand the protection for temporary workers in the state, impose new compliance obligations on staffing agencies and their client companies, and add significant enforcement teeth to the act, say Nicholas Anaclerio and Ellie Hemminger at Vedder Price.
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Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification
With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.
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Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled
In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.
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What The ESG Divide Means For Insurers And Beyond
The debate around ESG is becoming increasingly polarized, with some states passing legislation that prohibits the use of ESG factors and others advancing affirmative legislation, highlighting the importance for insurers and other companies to understand this complex legal landscape, say Scott Seaman and Bessie Daschbach at Hinshaw.
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5 Ways Firms Can Rethink Office Design In A Hybrid World
As workplaces across the country adapt to flexible work, law firms must prioritize individuality, amenities and technology in office design, says Kristin Cerutti at Nelson Worldwide.
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Opinion
Bar Score Is Best Hiring Metric Post-Affirmative Action
After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action admissions policies, law firms looking to foster diversity in hiring should view an applicant's Multistate Bar Examination score as the best metric of legal ability — over law school name or GPA, says attorney Alice Griffin.
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Cos. Must Prepare For More ESG Scrutiny From All Sides
As businesses face challenges to their environmental, social and governance efforts and statements — both from those who find them inadequate, and from those who think they go too far — it is more important than ever to proceed with care in implementing and disclosing ESG initiatives, say attorneys at Skadden.