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Benefits
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July 29, 2024
4 Takeaways After Courts Block ERISA Advice Regs
Two Texas federal judges' takedowns of the U.S. Department of Labor's recently expanded definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act has limited the agency's authority to oversee certain kinds of retirement investment advice, attorneys say, including some rollover situations. Here, Law360 looks at four things benefits lawyers have taken away from the decisions.
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July 29, 2024
Magistrate Eyes Cuts To Norfolk Southern Investors' Suit
A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing a portion of a securities suit filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, reasoning that the retirement funds serving as lead plaintiffs fell short of pleading standards.
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July 29, 2024
Amazon Defeats Class Status Push In Military Leave Suit
A Washington federal judge refused Monday to greenlight a class action accusing Amazon of demoting or firing workers who took time off for military service, saying they hadn't shown the thousands of would-be class members had enough in common.
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July 29, 2024
Insurer Must Pay Defamation Defense Costs, Co. Says
An online health services company told a California federal court that a Hanover Insurance unit must help cover the "tens of millions of dollars" the company incurred while litigating an underlying defamation counterclaim and pursuing its own affirmative claims, calling the defense counsel the insurer installed "woefully inadequate."
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July 29, 2024
Boehringer Appeals HHS Win In Medicare Drug Price Suit
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. notified a Connecticut federal court Friday that it will appeal its loss in a lawsuit challenging a new Medicare drug price negotiation program on the grounds that it unlawfully compels the pharmaceutical giant to declare prices "fair," takes its property and imposes an excessive fine.
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July 29, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Litigation linked to Elon Musk sparked several filings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week, including a call for sanctions and hand-wringing about a proposed multibillion-dollar attorney fee. Here, Law360 looks at this and other highlights from last week in Delaware's Chancery Court.
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July 29, 2024
Remainder Of DOL Fiduciary Regs Blocked In Texas
A Texas federal judge froze the remainder of a package of regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor expanding the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, after a judge blocked most of the policy in an adjacent district the day before.
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July 26, 2024
Paramount Must Face CBS Manager's Bonus Pay Claim
A Maryland federal judge refused to toss a former CBS News station manager's claim alleging her former bosses at Paramount unlawfully withheld her bonus pay after she was terminated, but said the bosses themselves don't have to face the allegation because they weren't her employer.
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July 26, 2024
Kinder Morgan Shorted Early Retirement Benefits, Judge Says
A pension plan inherited by Kinder Morgan Inc. when it acquired El Paso Corp. was wrongly amended to prevent workers from accumulating early retirement benefits, a Texas federal judge ruled, siding with a class of retirees who claimed the changes violated federal benefits law.
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July 26, 2024
Boeing Sued In Del. For Docs On Safety, Quality Failures
Two Boeing Co. pension fund stockholders sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery late on Thursday seeking access to company documents on safety and quality issues involving the 737 MAX, 777 and 787 commercial passenger jets, alleging a "slow rolling" of responses by the industry giant.
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July 26, 2024
Gas Co. Can't Wheedle Out Of Jury's Decision, Trader Says
A former trading director has told a Colorado state judge that the natural gas marketing company he worked for has no grounds to escape a Denver jury's $3.3 million damages award over his unpaid bonus, arguing that the jurors clearly found in his favor.
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July 26, 2024
Health Worker Says Home Insurer Must Cover Privacy Row
A woman accused of unlawfully accessing confidential patient information and disseminating it to others while working for the Yale New Haven Health System told a Connecticut federal court that her homeowner insurer owes coverage for the lawsuit, noting her policies define "personal injury" to include "invasion of privacy."
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July 26, 2024
Texas Federal Judge Blocks DOL Investment Advice Rule
A Texas federal judge granted a bid from insurance industry groups to freeze U.S. Department of Labor regulations that expand who qualifies as a fiduciary under federal benefits law, saying the agency's new rule "suffers from many of the same problems" as a previous DOL rule the Fifth Circuit invalidated in 2018.
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July 25, 2024
New Tree Co. Owners Can't Lodge Suit Over Defunct ESOP
Alerus Financial NA defeated a lawsuit claiming it unlawfully let the former owners of a tree care company take a large portion of the business's $34 million sale price, with a California federal judge saying the new owners can't sue on behalf of a defunct employee stock ownership plan.
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July 25, 2024
6th Circ. Asks Union If Steel Co. Must Pay 'Double' Benefits
During oral arguments Thursday in a "messy, complex" union fringe benefits dispute, a Sixth Circuit panel questioned whether ruling for a union pension fund would require a steel contractor to pay benefits twice for out-of-state workers.
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July 25, 2024
Warren Slams Fed Chief For Inaction On Bank Exec Pay
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the Federal Reserve's top official to support rulemaking that would restrict incentive-based pay for executives at big banks, a long-overdue policy change that Congress required in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.
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July 25, 2024
Vintage Wine Estates Can Tap Into $60.5M DIP Financing
Bankrupt wine producer and processor Vintage Wine Estates received permission Thursday from a Delaware bankruptcy judge to begin borrowing under a $60.5 million debtor-in-possession financing package being provided by its prepetition lenders.
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July 25, 2024
Vanguard Opposes Investors' Cert. Bid In Tax Liability Suit
A group of investors accusing Vanguard of violating its fiduciary duties by triggering a sell-off of assets that left smaller investors with massive tax bills shouldn't be granted class certification, the asset manager told a Pennsylvania federal court.
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July 25, 2024
Manufacturer Dodges Workers' 401(k) Fee Suit, For Now
An Illinois federal judge threw out two workers' lawsuit accusing a manufacturing company of saddling its $1.6 billion retirement plan with excessive recordkeeping and administrative fees, but left the door open for them to revise their complaint.
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July 25, 2024
Calif. Justices Rule Prop 22 Is Constitutional
The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Proposition 22 statewide ballot measure from 2020 that exempts certain app-based drivers from the state's independent contractor classification law, a ruling that could have widespread consequences for the gig economy and driver litigation.
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July 24, 2024
Ex-Arena Group CEO Says He's Owed Fees For Dueling Suits
The former CEO of digital publisher The Arena Group is demanding that the company make its contractual payments to him to cover his costs for dueling lawsuits against one another in separate state courts, according to a Wednesday suit in Delaware Chancery Court.
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July 24, 2024
Paramount Defaulted On Co. Sale Doc Demand, Chancery Told
Paramount Global has "completely defaulted" on obligations to provide documents sought by a shareholder investigating controller Shari Redstone's alleged self-interested "usurpation" of the media company's sale opportunities, a stockholder attorney told a Delaware Court of Chancery magistrate Wednesday.
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July 24, 2024
Chemical Co. Settles Ex-Workers' 401(k) Fee Suit
Chemical company Univar Solutions USA Inc. has agreed to resolve a proposed class action claiming it let its employee 401(k) plan pay unreasonably high administrative fees and cost workers millions of dollars in retirement savings, according to a filing Wednesday in Illinois federal court.
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July 24, 2024
6th Circ. Floats Remand Of Geico Agent Misclassification Suit
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday pressed Geico about plan documents reviewed by a lower court when it tossed agents' claims they were misclassified as independent contractors, floating the possibility of sending the case back for limited discovery.
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July 24, 2024
Milliman 401(k) Class Hangs Onto Cert. After Bench Trial Loss
A Washington federal judge will keep a class of Milliman 401(k) plan participants intact despite rejecting their claims that Milliman mismanaged their retirement funds, after the lead plaintiff and the company agreed certification should be preserved as the court enters its final judgment.
Expert Analysis
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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9th Circ. Ruling Puts Teeth Into Mental Health Parity Claims
In its recent finding that UnitedHealth applied an excessively strict review process for substance use disorder treatment claims, the Ninth Circuit provided guidance on how to plead a Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act violation and took a step toward achieving mental health parity in healthcare, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Del. Match.com Ruling Maintains Precedent In Time Of Change
Despite speculation that the Delaware Supreme Court could drive away corporations if it lowered the bar for business judgment review in its Match.com stockholder ruling, the court broke its recent run of controversial precedent-busting decisions by upholding, and arguably strengthening, minority stockholder protections against controller coercion, say Renee Zaytsev and Marc Ayala at Boies Schiller.
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Inside OMB's Update On Race And Ethnicity Data Collection
The Office of Management and Budget's new guidelines for agency collection of data on race and ethnicity reflect societal changes and the concerns of certain demographics, but implementation may be significantly burdensome for agencies and employers, say Joanna Colosimo and Bill Osterndorf at DCI Consulting.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Management Incentives May Be Revisited After PE Investment
As the economic climate shifts, key parties in private equity investment transactions may become misaligned, and management incentive plans could become ineffective — so attentive boards may wish to caucus with management to evaluate continued alignment, say Austin Lilling and Nida Javaid at Morgan Lewis.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.