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Benefits
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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.
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June 17, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Proposed amendments to Delaware's General Corporation Law that were prompted by several recent Chancery Court rulings sailed through the state Senate last week despite loud opposition from corporate law professors and other Chancery Court watchers, and Tesla shareholders filed two new suits against CEO Elon Musk.
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June 17, 2024
Justices To Hear Nvidia Case On Securities Pleading Standard
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal of a Ninth Circuit ruling that revived investors' claims over chipmaker Nvidia's crypto mining sales, giving the high court a chance to weigh in on the pleading requirements needed to sustain a shareholder class action.
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June 14, 2024
Potato Co.'s Software Rollout Fried Its Revenue, Suit Says
Potato product manufacturer Lamb Weston has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action in Idaho federal court alleging that it concealed from investors information about the botched implementation of software that had been intended to improve the efficiency of the company's operations but ended up costing the company millions in lost sales.
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June 14, 2024
Red States Look To Block ACA Trans Discrimination Rule
A group of 15 conservative states urged a Mississippi federal court to halt recently finalized regulations clarifying gender identity-based discrimination under the Affordable Care Act from taking effect, saying the new rule strips the states of their right to oversee medical ethics.
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June 14, 2024
Providers' $12M Suit Against Cigna, Multiplan Trimmed
A California federal judge trimmed a suit against Cigna and Multiplan alleging the companies lowballed reimbursement to a group of substance use disorder treatment providers seeking more than $12 million under health plans they administered, keeping a federal benefits law claim intact but dropping several state law claims.
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June 14, 2024
NJ Chief Justice Depo 'Redundant' In Pension Fight, Court Told
The New Jersey judiciary urged the state court to deny a bid to depose Chief Justice Stuart Rabner in a suit brought by a former Superior Court judge over the denial of her disability pension application, arguing she can't meet the heightened burden required to depose a high-ranking official and that the chief justice's testimony is privileged.
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June 14, 2024
Former IT Worker Wants Outright Win In FMLA Suit
A former information technology worker asked a Florida federal court Friday to reconsider a win it denied him in his lawsuit alleging he was fired after he took medical leave to treat anxiety, arguing the court should have found his company acted illegally.
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June 14, 2024
Pfizer Worker's Ex-Wife Can't Raid 401(k) To Collect Damages
The ex-wife of a former Pfizer employee can't use her ex-husband's 401(k) account to collect damages awarded in a defamation suit against him, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, saying federal benefits law prevents her from seizing his retirement contributions.
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June 14, 2024
4 Big ERISA Decisions From The 1st Half Of 2024
A California federal court allowed a novel type of 401(k) mismanagement suit to advance to discovery, the Ninth Circuit elaborated on the pleading standard for mental health parity claims, and workers beat back an attempt to force their federal benefits suit into arbitration at the Second Circuit. Here, attorneys discuss four consequential ERISA decisions in 2024's first half.
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June 13, 2024
Prudential Investors Get Final OK On $35M Settlement
A New Jersey federal judge on Thursday granted final approval to a $35 million class action settlement between Prudential Financial Inc. and shareholders who alleged the company hid the risks associated with the purchase of thousands of life insurance policies.
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June 13, 2024
New Evidence Triggers Amended Misclassification Complaint
Growers accusing a chicken farm of misclassifying them as independent contractors can amend their suit, a South Carolina federal judge ruled Thursday, agreeing that new evidence they obtained could expand the suit's reach.
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June 13, 2024
Tesla Shareholders Approve Musk's Compensation Package
Tesla's shareholders voted to approve a multibillion-dollar compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, the company's top lawyer announced Thursday during a meeting in which investors also approved moving the company's incorporation from Delaware to Texas.
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June 13, 2024
Retirement Sponsor Strikes Deal To End 401(k) Fee Suit
A professional employer organization that offered a $1.5 billion 401(k) plan to credit unions reached a deal to end former plan participants' proposed class action accusing it of saddling them with lofty fees, a Thursday filing in Wisconsin federal court said.
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June 13, 2024
Perdue Wants Copycat Wage Suit Tossed or Transferred
Perdue Foods asked a Maryland federal judge Thursday to throw out or transfer to Georgia a chicken grower's suit alleging independent contractor misclassification, saying the claims are identical to another suit in that state the named plaintiff was involved with.
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June 13, 2024
Media Co. Strikes Deal In Suit Alleging Pricey 401(k) Funds
A media company has agreed to settle a class action alleging it failed to trim costly investment funds from its workers' $540 million 401(k) retirement plan serving 12,000 members, costing them millions in savings, according to a filing in New York federal court.
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June 12, 2024
Ex-Rehab Biz Manager Gets Prison For Theft From Resident
The former business manager of a Connecticut rehabilitation center will serve at least nine months in prison for stealing money from an elderly resident's bank account, state prosecutors said.
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June 12, 2024
Wells Fargo Accused Of Mismanaging Forfeited 401(k) Funds
A former Wells Fargo employee hit the San Francisco-based bank with a proposed class action in California federal court Tuesday, alleging Wells Fargo and its fiduciaries violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by using forfeited retirement funds to reduce its own contributions to other workers' 401(k)s.
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June 12, 2024
CalPERS Opposes $5B Atty Fee In Musk Pay Fight
The nation's largest public pension fund lined up Wednesday against a proposed $5 billion-plus fee for stockholder attorneys whose Delaware Court of Chancery suit blocked Tesla CEO Elon Musk's one-time $56 billion compensation plan, one day ahead of a Tesla shareholder vote to resurrect the pay deal.
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June 12, 2024
Lipitor Buyers Get Final OK For $93M Deal In Antitrust Fight
A New Jersey federal judge gave final approval Wednesday to a $93 million settlement between a class of buyers of Lipitor and Pfizer, resolving their claims in sprawling antitrust litigation that Pfizer conspired with a drug manufacturer to delay the release of a cheaper generic version of Lipitor and monopolize the market.
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June 12, 2024
Worker Hits Lumber Co. With 401(k) Fee, Investment Suit
A lumber company violated federal benefits law by choosing expensive, poor-performing funds for its employee retirement plan and saddling participants with lofty fees, according to a new lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court.
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June 12, 2024
Okta, Investors Reach $60M Deal In Cyberattack Coverup Suit
Okta Inc. investors have asked a California federal judge to give the first OK to a $60 million settlement reached in a suit alleging the software company misled the certified class about a 2022 cyberattack.
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June 12, 2024
32 AGs Urge Justices Take Up Okla. PBM Law Fight
Thirty-two attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Oklahoma's petition for review of a Tenth Circuit decision holding that federal law preempted portions of a state law regulating pharmacy benefit managers, arguing the justices needed to intervene to resolve a circuit split.
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June 12, 2024
Sen. Dems Seek Criminal Penalties For PE Hospital 'Looters'
A pair of Democratic senators are targeting private equity's role in the healthcare industry, introducing new legislation Tuesday that would give federal and state enforcers new tools to go after firms they say are "looting" hospital systems and other providers, including possibly jailing executives if patient deaths result.
Expert Analysis
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Wilderness Therapy Ruling May Deter Broad Policy Exclusions
A Utah federal court's recent ruling in M.A. v. United Healthcare that an insurance policy exclusion for the adolescent behavioral health treatment known as wilderness therapy was ambiguous shows that blanket rejections can go too far, and may preclude new rationales for claim denials, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Cos. Must Show Discretion In Public Statements When Sued
A recent securities class action ruling in Massachusetts federal court against software company Pegasystems shows that a boilerplate public denial of a lawsuit's merits can form the basis for a claim that the statement was false or misleading, underscoring the need to use discretion when responding to pending claims, say Brian Kearney and Stephen Kastenberg at Ballard Spahr.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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An Overview Of 6 PBM Bills Moving Through Congress
As legislators turn to pharmacy benefit manager reform as a potential next step in addressing the cost of prescription drugs, six congressional committees have recently advanced PBM-related legislation with generally high bipartisan support, suggesting that a final package is likely to advance through Congress, say Rachel Stauffer and Katie Waldo at McDermott+Consulting.
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10th Circ. ERISA Ruling Is Promising For Self-Funded Plans
Though some recent appellate decisions have seemingly narrowed application of Employee Retirement Income Security Act preemption, which generally helps protect self-funded health plans from state regulation, the Tenth Circuit's decision in PCMA v. Mulready takes a big step toward reaffirming preemption, say attorneys at Bass Berry.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Okla. Workers' Comp Case Could Mean Huge Shift In Claims
An Oklahoma appeals court's recent opinion in Prewitt v. Quiktrip Corp. may expand the scope of continuing medical maintenance orders in workers' compensation cases to unprecedented levels — with potentially major consequences for employers and insurers, says Steven Hanna at Gilson Daub.
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How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
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How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
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Corporate Compliance Lessons From FirstEnergy Scandal
Fallout from a massive bribery scheme involving Ohio electric utility FirstEnergy and state officeholders — including the recent sentencing of two defendants — has critical corporate governance takeaways for companies and individuals seeking to influence government policymaking, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.