On July 3, 2025, Congress passed H.R. 1, “An Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Title II of H. Con. Res. 14” (the “Act”), which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The Act sets out a wide range of changes to U.S....more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced two significant changes to 401(k) plan investments, signaling an increase in latitude for fiduciaries who wish to make available cryptocurrency investments in their plans...more
In a decision poised to change the landscape of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) litigation, on April 17, 2025, the Supreme Court held in Cunningham et al. v. Cornell University et al. that a claimant...more
4/23/2025
/ Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Pleading Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS
In a recent decision by the U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2022 Rule (the 2022 Rule) on environmental, social, and governance (ESG)...more
3/14/2025
/ Chevron Deference ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Final Rules ,
Investment ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS
On January 10, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (the “Court”) held, in Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., that American Airlines (“American”) and the American Airlines Employee Benefits...more
1/29/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Plan Administrators ,
Retirement Plan
On April 3, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule amending Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14 (PTE 84-14). PTE 84-14 exempts from ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules certain transactions between...more
The Department of Labor (the DOL) has released its final rule clarifying how and when ERISA fiduciaries may consider ESG factors in making investment decisions for a plan. The rule also offers substantial guidance on the...more
In a proposed class prohibited transaction exemption published on June 29, 2020 (the “proposed exemption”), the Department of Labor (DOL) stated that advising employee benefit plan (“plan”) participants to roll over plan...more
A recent decision of the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit makes it more likely that private equity funds could be liable for the pension obligations of the portfolio companies in which they invest. Key to the decision...more
The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling in United States v. Windsor (“Windsor”) struck down key portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) as unconstitutional. This decision will allow many same-sex spouses to...more
7/11/2013
/ Civil Unions ,
DOMA ,
Domestic Partnership ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Estate Tax ,
Healthcare ,
IRS ,
Marriage ,
Retirement Plan ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
US v Windsor