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Benefits
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August 16, 2024
Workers Nab Class Status In Dish Network 401(k) Row
A Colorado federal judge granted a group of workers class certification in their suit alleging Dish Network mismanaged its retirement fund and cost participants millions in savings by failing to snip an underperforming Fidelity Freedom Fund target date suite from the plan.
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August 16, 2024
Ex-Genworth Financial Workers Nab Class Cert. In 401(k) Suit
A Virginia federal judge approved a nearly 4,000-member class of Genworth Financial Inc. 401(k) plan participants who claimed they lost millions of dollars in retirement savings because of underperforming BlackRock target-date funds, rejecting the insurance company's assertion that potential class members had conflicting interests.
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August 16, 2024
Breaks In Union Work Axed Mechanic's Pension, Judge Says
A longtime mechanic forfeited his union pension by taking two multi-year breaks from accepting union-covered work, an Illinois federal judge ruled, siding with a union pension fund in its dispute with the mechanic over his pension eligibility.
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August 16, 2024
Connecticut Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report
Several high-stakes Connecticut cases came to a close in the first half of 2024, resulting in the resolution of Frontier Communications' $21.8 million feud with its ex-CEO and a $26.5 million deal for RTX Corp. subcontractors and employees who alleged that anticompetitive no-poach agreements prevented them from advancing their careers.
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August 16, 2024
Connecticut Legislation Passed In 2024: A Midyear Report
While Connecticut workers may rejoice over a major expansion of paid sick leave that will begin to roll out next year, businesses will need to spend some time and effort getting ready to implement the new law, attorneys told Law360.
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August 16, 2024
New Jersey Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report
A court's upheaval of New Jersey's longstanding "county line" ballot layout for the Democratic primary fueled both sides of the lively political aisle this year, while the same federal judge also riled the state's pharmaceutical hotbed by ending two challenges to Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. Here, Law360 looks at some of the notable cases so far in New Jersey.
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August 15, 2024
2023 Rule Revising Hospital Payments Struck Down
A Texas federal judge on Thursday sided with about a dozen hospitals challenging a federal regulation that they say will curtail their payments for treating low-income patients, declaring the rule unlawful and setting it aside.
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August 15, 2024
9th Circ. Judges Seem To Split On Wash. Abortion Coverage
A Ninth Circuit judge asked Thursday how a church could be harmed by a Washington law requiring employee health plans to cover abortions, since none of its workers had ever actually sought one, while another judge asked if tossing the case would slam the door on religious objections.
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August 15, 2024
Stop 'Pointing Fingers,' Judge Tells Blue Cross, Mich. Tribe
A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday urged counsel in a Native American tribe's lawsuit alleging Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan improperly billed for members' healthcare to heed his repeated advice and focus on the merits of the case, denying both parties' attempts to punish the other.
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August 15, 2024
Northeast Grocery Chain Escapes 401(k) Mismanagement Suit
The parent company of grocery chain Price Chopper defeated a proposed class action alleging it allowed its 401(k) plan to be bogged down with underperforming funds and excessive costs, with a New York federal judge ruling Thursday that workers hadn't provided enough detail to sustain their claims.
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August 15, 2024
Chemical Co. Inks $1.1M Deal To End 401(k) Row
A group of former Univar Solutions USA Inc. employees asked an Illinois federal judge Thursday to greenlight a $1.1 million deal to shutter their suit claiming the chemical company saddled their $978 million retirement plan with excessive administrative fees.
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August 15, 2024
Caterpillar Must Face Illinois Ex-Workers' Genetic Privacy Suit
Caterpillar Inc. can't escape a proposed class action alleging it violated an Illinois genetic information privacy statute by asking job applicants about their family medical history, a federal judge ruled, rejecting the machinery manufacturer's assertion that it didn't intend to collect the data.
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August 15, 2024
Full 11th Circ. To Weigh Georgia Deputy's Trans Health Win
The Eleventh Circuit agreed Thursday to a full-court rehearing of an appeal from Georgia county officials looking to overturn a deputy's win in her suit alleging a health plan coverage exclusion for gender-affirming surgery violated federal anti-discrimination law.
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August 15, 2024
Okla. Says 10th Circ. PBM Ruling Defies High Court Precedent
Oklahoma urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Tenth Circuit decision nullifying certain parts of a state law regulating pharmacy benefit managers, arguing the appeals court's ruling openly conflicts with sister circuits and previous high court rulings while pushing federal benefits law beyond its limits.
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August 14, 2024
Computer Equipment Co. Hid Demand Decline, Investor Says
Cloud network equipment company Extreme Networks Inc. misled investors about its financial prospects and declining client demand as its customers' buying habits changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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August 14, 2024
Wintrust Escapes BlackRock 401(k) Fund Suit
An Illinois federal judge agreed Wednesday to permanently toss a proposed class action against Wintrust Financial Corp. alleging mismanagement of an employee 401(k) plan, finding ex-workers hadn't plausibly alleged their employer violated federal benefits law by offering what they said were underperforming target-date funds.
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August 14, 2024
Fuel Co. Can't Halt Fund's Contributions Dispute, Judge Says
An airplane fueling services company can't escape claims from a Teamsters benefit plan seeking more than $150,000 in unpaid contributions and other costs, a New York federal judge ruled, finding ambiguities with provisions in an agreement about contribution obligations preclude dismissal.
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August 14, 2024
Calbiotech Beats Ex-Worker's 401(k) Retaliation Suit
A former Calbiotech Inc. employee must return a $12,500 payment he received after being terminated, a California federal judge ruled, finding he breached his severance agreement by filing a lawsuit claiming he was let go for asking about the life sciences company's 401(k) plan documents.
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August 14, 2024
Judge Blocks Missouri's Anti-ESG Rules, Handing SIFMA Win
A Missouri federal judge found Wednesday that the state's anti-ESG rules for brokers and advisers violate the First Amendment and are preempted by federal laws, handing the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association an early win in its suit against state officials.
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August 14, 2024
Nordstrom Saddled 401(k) Plan With High Fees, Workers Say
Nordstrom cost workers millions in savings by failing to trim excessive fees from its $3.4 billion retirement plan and using forfeited plan funds to cushion its contribution promises, a group of current and former workers alleged in a suit filed in Washington federal court.
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August 14, 2024
Chancery Says Unisys Must Advance Ex-Workers' Legal Fees
Pennsylvania information technology company Unisys Corp. must front the legal fees and expenses for two executives it hired away from French competitor Atos SE and then sued for trade secret infringement after they went back to Atos two years later, Delaware's Court of Chancery has ruled.
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August 13, 2024
Atlassian Again Beats Investor Suit Over Software Co.'s Slump
Investors in software company Atlassian Corp. haven't shored up claims that the company hid a slowdown in a key growth metric before a 2022 earnings miss, a San Francisco federal judge has decided, dismissing a proposed class action but giving plaintiffs one more shot at their claims.
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August 13, 2024
2nd Circ. Partially Revives Retirees' JPMorgan Benefits Suit
The Second Circuit on Tuesday partially resurrected a retired JPMorgan Chase employee's putative class action claiming it failed to properly notify and inform workers after the retirement plan was converted to a cash balance plan, ruling that JPMorgan had properly notified retirees as to only some aspects of the change.
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August 13, 2024
Intuit Can't Escape Ex-Employee's 401(k) Forfeiture Suit
A California federal judge has rejected Intuit's bid to toss a former employee's proposed class action claiming the company improperly used money from forfeited, nonvested accounts to reduce its own 401(k) matching contributions, but the judge trimmed claims the plaintiff agreed to drop related to the plan's administrative committee.
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August 13, 2024
10th Circ. Says Mine Can't Undo Worker's Black Lung Benefits
A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected a coal mining company's attempt to prevent a retired Utah miner from getting benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act, finding the miner's time working in above-ground facilities did not remove the law's presumption in his favor.
Expert Analysis
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How To Win More Money For Terminated Executives
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Terminated executives are often rattled into accepting too little money and too many restrictive covenants, but by converting the company’s hidden anxieties into leverage and using proven bargaining-table talking points to reframe the employer’s risks, outgoing executives can negotiate significantly better severance packages, says Stephen Zweig at FordHarrison.
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Perspectives
6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
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Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Arbitration Is Still On The Table To Fight ERISA Class Actions
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court recently denying certiorari in two cases that would have brought clarity to the arbitrability of ERISA claims, it is likely that the issue will remain hotly contested for some time, but lower court decisions provide tools for plan sponsors to curtail their ERISA exposure, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Exploring Menopause Benefits: A Guide For Employers
With 64% of women surveyed in 2023 wanting employer-sponsored menopause benefits, companies that wish to recruit and retain female employees should consider updating both their healthcare plans and corporate culture to help these often-marginalized workers feel and perform their best, say Diane Dygert and Maria Rossi at Seyfarth.
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ERISA Litigation Faces New Frontiers In 2024
As plaintiffs firms explore novel theories for recovery and the Department of Labor attempts to broaden the definition of an investment advice fiduciary, 2024 could see new types of Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation after just 100 class actions were filed last year, say attorneys at Groom Law.
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Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
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Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
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Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing In 2024
Plaintiffs asserted securities class actions at elevated levels in 2023 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead — as they switched gears to target companies that allegedly have failed to anticipate supply chain disruptions, persistent inflation, rising interest rates and other macroeconomic headwinds, say attorneys at Skadden.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.