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Benefits
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June 21, 2024
DOD Can't Escape LGBTQ Veterans' Discharge Bias Suit
A California federal judge denied the U.S. Department of Defense's bid to toss a suit alleging veterans discharged under the military's former "don't ask, don't tell" ban on LGBTQ service members continue to face discrimination, finding they put forward enough proof of bias for their claims to survive dismissal.
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June 21, 2024
5 ERISA Cases To Watch In 2024's Second Half
The U.S. Department of Labor will be playing defense in the second half of 2024, battling injunction bids in Texas seeking to halt the agency's recently finalized retirement security regulations, as well as fighting to uphold a DOL rule tackling social and environmental factors in retirement plan investment decisions. Here, Law360 looks at five Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases that attorneys say they will have on their radar.
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June 21, 2024
Attys Eye $1.4M Slice Of State Street Retirement Plan Deal
Class counsel are requesting a one-third cut from a $4.3 million settlement with State Street Corp. to resolve claims the bank stocked its employees' 401(k) plan with imprudent funds that it managed or that were run by its subsidiaries or affiliates.
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June 20, 2024
UnitedHealth To Pay $1M To End NY AG Birth Control Probe
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that UnitedHealthcare of New York Inc. will pay $1 million to end allegations that the company violated Empire State law by refusing to fully cover an oral contraceptive.
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June 20, 2024
HHS Drug Pricing Program Flouts Constitution, Boehringer Says
An "unprecedented" new Medicare price negotiation program deprives drugmakers of their constitutional rights and forces them to make declarations on issues of public concern that reflect poorly on them, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. argued Thursday in Connecticut federal court as it echoed the industry chorus seeking to strike the initiative.
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June 20, 2024
Worker Says Co. Inflated Deductions To Duck Prevailing Wage
An electrical contracting firm overdeducted fringe benefits from the pay of employees who worked on publicly funded projects, dragging down their prevailing wages, a former electrician said in a proposed class action in Pennsylvania state court.
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June 20, 2024
11th Circ. Backs Stryker's Defeat Of Fired Worker's Leave Suit
The Eleventh Circuit refused Thursday to revive a suit claiming medical technology company Stryker illegally fired a worker on leave awaiting the birth of his child, ruling that because the leave didn't formally kick in until the child was born, his termination was fair game.
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June 20, 2024
NBA Fraud Ringleader To Plead Fifth At Doctor's Trial
Counsel for a former NBA journeyman who pled guilty after being accused of spearheading a scheme to defraud a league healthcare plan said his client will probably invoke the Fifth Amendment if called to testify at a co-defendant's upcoming trial.
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June 20, 2024
DOL Benefits Head Plans To Attend House Oversight Hearing
The head of the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm is planning to testify at a House oversight hearing called by a legislator critical of that office's regulations, a DOL spokesperson said Thursday.
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June 20, 2024
Boston College Settles 401(k) Participants' Suit
Boston College and participants in the school's employee retirement plan told a Massachusetts federal court they have struck a deal to resolve claims the college mismanaged the 401(k) plan.
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June 20, 2024
ACLU Urges 9th Circ. To Reject Insurer's Trans Health Appeal
The American Civil Liberties Union urged the Ninth Circuit to reject Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' appeal seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that found denying transgender health plan participants gender-affirming care violated the Affordable Care Act, arguing federal healthcare nondiscrimination laws clearly protected against gender identity bias.
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June 18, 2024
Seattle Can't Stop Firefighters' COVID Vaccine Suit
Firefighters who sued over Seattle's COVID-19 vaccine mandate have offered sufficient evidence to allege they faced religious discrimination, according to a federal magistrate judge who trimmed some claims on Tuesday but refused to toss the lawsuit.
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June 18, 2024
Ex-Twitter Workers Seek Class Cert. In Arbitration Fee Fight
A group of former Twitter workers who accuse X Corp. of stalling their employment disputes by refusing to pay arbitration fees urged a California federal judge Monday to certify multiple classes of workers over allegations their arbitration efforts have been thwarted by the social media giant.
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June 18, 2024
DuPont, Corteva Must Face Pension Benefits Class Action
Chemical companies DuPont and Corteva can't escape a class action claiming they illegally stripped retirement benefits from hundreds of workers following a merger and subsequent spinoff, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, finding factual disputes that need to be sorted out at trial.
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June 18, 2024
Hospital Board Says Feds Underpaid Claims By $17M
A Navajo Nation hospital board is suing the federal government, alleging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services underpaid its fiscal year 2016 funding request for contract support costs by $17.4 million without any legal justification.
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June 18, 2024
Kohler Inks $2.45M Deal To Wrap Up Mortality Table Suit
Kohler struck a $2.45 million deal that aims to beef up pension payouts for about 500 married retirees to end a proposed class action claiming the manufacturing company shorted couples on pension benefits through the use of outdated data, according to a Wisconsin federal court filing.
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June 18, 2024
Milliman Wins 401(k) Mismanagement Suit After Trial
Consulting company Milliman Inc. prevailed over a class action suit alleging the company violated federal benefits law by keeping poorly performing investments tied to a financial subsidiary in its employee 401(k) plan, according to a California federal judge's order entered after a 10-day bench trial.
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June 18, 2024
HP Escapes 'Novel' 401(k) Suit Over Use Of Forfeited Funds
A California federal judge threw out a proposed class action that accused HP of unlawfully using former workers' forfeited 401(k) funds to satisfy its own contributions, saying nothing in federal benefits law required the company to use the funds to cover plan expenses.
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June 18, 2024
BDO's $2.25M Deal Ending 401(k) Suit Gets Final OK
An Illinois federal judge on Monday gave his final sign-off to a $2.25 million settlement accounting firm BDO agreed to pay to resolve a suit alleging the company failed to verify that retirement plan funds in an employee 401(k) were evaluated properly.
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June 18, 2024
Va. City Can't Ax Atty's Wrongful Firing Suit Over FMLA Fraud
A federal judge declined to toss an attorney's suit claiming the Virginia city he worked for illegally fired him and accused him of doctoring a medical form he needed to care for his sick mother, saying he showed the city may have stepped on his medical leave rights.
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June 18, 2024
Ex-USC Linebacker Cops To Pandemic Unemployment Fraud
A former linebacker for the University of Southern California football team pled guilty to fraudulently seeking over $1 million in pandemic-era unemployment benefits.
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June 17, 2024
Teamsters Plan Says Health Network Has Monopoly In Conn.
A Teamsters healthcare benefits plan and a Connecticut public transit provider have sued the healthcare network Hartford Healthcare Corp., accusing it of having a monopoly over healthcare in a half-dozen regions of the state.
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June 17, 2024
Accused NBA Fraud Leader May Testify At Doctor's Trial
A former NBA player who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly spearheading a scheme to defraud the league's healthcare plan is likely to be called to testify at the upcoming trial of a co-defendant, a Manhattan federal judge said Monday.
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June 17, 2024
DOL Says Insurers Can't Block ERISA Retirement Advice Regs
The U.S. Department of Labor urged a Texas federal court to reject a group of insurers' bid to halt the implementation of recently finalized regulations expanding which types of retirement investment advice fall under the purview of federal benefits law, arguing the challengers' request wasn't justified.
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June 17, 2024
Pharmacy Groups Urge High Court To Hear Okla. PBM Case
Pharmacy industry groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Tenth Circuit decision that overturned portions of an Oklahoma law regulating pharmacy benefit managers, saying these intermediaries have driven up costs for patients while raising their own bottom lines, and states should be allowed to keep them in check.
Expert Analysis
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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The Self-Funded Plan's Guide To Gender-Affirming Coverage
Self-funded group health plans face complicated legal risks when determining whether to cover gender-affirming health benefits for their transgender participants, so plan sponsors should carefully weigh how federal nondiscrimination laws and state penalties for providing care for trans minors could affect their decision to offer coverage, say Tim Kennedy and Anne Tyler Hall at Hall Benefits Law.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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How Justices' Disclosure Ruling May Change Corp. Filings
In the upcoming Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners case, the U.S. Supreme Court will resolve a circuit split over whether a company may be sued for private securities fraud if they fail to disclose certain financial information in public filings, which may change the way management analyzes industry risks and trends for investors, says Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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What ESG Investing Ruling Means For Fiduciaries
A Texas federal court’s recent ruling — upholding a U.S. Department of Labor rule allowing retirement plan fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in certain investment decisions — provides welcome clarity for plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that have long been buffeted by partisan noise and misinformation, say attorneys at Covington.
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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How 2 Cases Could Undermine The Anti-ESG Movement
A decision from a federal court in Texas and another case currently making its way through Missouri federal court signal an emerging judicial recognition of the link between environmental, social and governance considerations and maximizing financial returns, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.
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Considerations And Calculations For DOJ Clawback Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s clawback pilot program announced earlier this year presents numerous questions for businesses, and both hypothetical and recent real-world examples capture how companies’ cost-benefit analyses about whether to claw back compensation in exchange for penalty reductions may differ, say Yogesh Bahl and Jonathan Hecht at Resolution Economics.
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SEC's Life Sciences Actions Utilize Novel Tools And Theories
Recent enforcement actions show that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is employing new forms of data analytics and noteworthy applications of insider trading laws in its scrutiny of fraud within the life sciences and health industries, say Edward Imperatore and Jina Choi at MoFo.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.