News & Analysis as of

Employee Benefits Class Action Employment Litigation

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

United Health is latest 401(k) forfeiture lawsuit

UnitedHealth Group is the latest big-name employer to get hit with a class action lawsuit over how it handles 401(k) forfeitures. The case, Kotalik et al. v. UnitedHealth Group Inc., accuses the company and its plan...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - May 2025

The May Monthly Minute brings you up-to-date on mental health parity enforcement relief, as well as smoker surcharge and prohibited transaction litigation. Nonenforcement of 2024 Mental Health Parity Regulations - Earlier...more

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

What is an Improper Use of Forfeiture Case Worth? Intuit Settlement Provides Perspective

On Friday, May 16th, plaintiff’s counsel in the Rodriguez v. Intuit Inc. case filed a motion to support a settlement of $1,995,000.  The motion appears to reflect a good compromise between the parties … and as they say, a...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Republican-Backed Congressional Proposal in Congress Seeks to Allow Companies to Offer Benefits to Independent Contractors: April...

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Last month, the most significant legal development in the area of independent contractor (IC) compliance and misclassification was on Capitol Hill. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a Senate Republican who chairs the Senate Health,...more

Carlton Fields

Faulty COBRA Notices Can Cost Big Bucks

Carlton Fields on

When COBRA cases survive motions to dismiss, big dollars are at stake. Marrow v. E.R. Carpenter Co., No. 8:23-cv-02959, is a class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on behalf...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - April 2025

The April Monthly Minute showers readers with some eye-opening case law updates, ranging from a $38.8M jury verdict in a 401(k) fee case, to a pair of cases involving Elevance (f/k/a Anthem) health plan coverage exclusions....more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

One Court Permits Tobacco Premium Surcharge Claims to Proceed Beyond the Pleading Stage, While Dispositive Motions Remain Pending...

In fall 2024, plaintiffs filed a wave of putative class action lawsuits against employers challenging wellness programs that impose a health coverage premium surcharge on participants if they do use tobacco or do not complete...more

A&O Shearman

Supreme Court’s Cornell decision sets low pleading bar for ERISA claims

A&O Shearman on

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

Maynard Nexsen

Recent Litigation Emphasizes the Importance of Using Correct COBRA Notices

Maynard Nexsen on

In Marrow v. E.R. Carpenter Co., Inc., a former employee filed a proposed class action lawsuit against her employer, claiming that the company’s group health plan failed to provide a proper COBRA election notice. The employee...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Supreme Court Update - April 17, 2025

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

The Supreme Court of the United States issued one decision today: Cunningham v. Cornell University, No. 23-1007: This case addresses the pleading standard to assert a claim under a provision of the Employee Retirement...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Clorox forfeiture case goes forward

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has decided not to dismiss a class action lawsuit against The Clorox Company and the employee benefits committee of The Clorox Company 401(k) Plan. The lawsuit...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Refusing to Quit: Class Actions on Tobacco Surcharges in Health Plans Continue

Amundsen Davis LLC on

Over the past year, numerous class actions have been filed against large employers claiming their health plan surcharge for tobacco use is not in compliance with HIPAA nondiscrimination rules. With yet another lawsuit filed...more

Frantz Ward LLP

Ohio Federal Court Preliminarily Approves $20 Million Settlement for Kroger Wage and Hour Lawsuit

Frantz Ward LLP on

On February 20, 2025, Judge Jeffrey P. Hopkins of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order preliminarily approving a $20.8 million settlement in a collective and class action lawsuit by...more

Morgan Lewis - ML Benefits

Tobacco Surcharge Lawsuits: Considerations for Plan Sponsors

A growing number of class action lawsuits have been filed against employer-sponsored self-insured group health plans alleging that tobacco cessation wellness programs violate key provisions of the Employee Retirement Income...more

Carlton Fields

Eleventh Circuit Holds Arbitration Agreement Unenforceable Against Spouse of Former Employee

Carlton Fields on

In Lubin v. Starbucks Corp., the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals considered defendant Starbucks’ appeal of an order denying its motion to compel arbitration of the plaintiffs’ lawsuit alleging that Starbucks sent deficient...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Northern District of California Dismisses 401(k) Forfeiture Suit with Prejudice

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In Hutchins v. HP Inc., the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed – with prejudice – the plaintiff's claims challenging the use of forfeited employer 401(k) contributions. This is the latest...more

Adams & Reese

What Do Businesses Need to Know About the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)?

Adams & Reese on

In August 2024, pilots employed by Alaska Airlines and members of the Air Force Reserves scored a major victory in a federal appeals court. In Synoracki v. Alaska Airlines, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth...more

DLA Piper

Supreme Court Debates ERISA Exemptions in Cunningham v. Cornell University

DLA Piper on

The US Supreme Court heard argument on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 from Cornell University and its employees over dismissal of a class action alleging that Cornell University’s retirement plan paid unreasonable recordkeeping...more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Holy Smokes: Is Your Tobacco Surcharge Program Compliant?

Warner Norcross + Judd on

A “tobacco surcharge” is part of many employers’ wellness programs, where the employer charges tobacco users higher health insurance premiums than non-tobacco users. A typical tobacco surcharge program will ask an employee if...more

UB Greensfelder LLP

What Employers Should Know About Tobacco Surcharge Litigation

UB Greensfelder LLP on

Tobacco surcharges have become the focus of class action litigation in recent months. Although corporate wellness programs are commonplace, employers that impose a tobacco surcharge (or other premium discount) in connection...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Arkansas Court Declines to Dismiss Challenge to ESOP Releveraging Transaction

Holland & Knight LLP on

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas issued its written decision in Shipp v. Central States Manufacturing, Inc. on July 5, 2024, declining to dismiss the case against Central States Manufacturing Inc....more

Jones Day

Fiduciaries Beware: Employer Health Plan Under Fire for Alleged Prescription Drug Mismanagement

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An employer health plan is the latest target of class action litigation seeking redress for the alleged conduct of the plan's pharmacy benefit manager ("PBM")....more

Carlton Fields

Expect Focus - Volume III, September 2023

Carlton Fields on

Regulators Hit Jackpot: Off-Channel Communications - Several years before announcing the first “off-channel” communications enforcement action, the SEC and FINRA cautioned broker-dealers and investment advisers about...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Court Compels Proposed ESOP Class to Individual Arbitration Based on Plan Document

Holland & Knight LLP on

Historically, courts around the country have approached the enforceability of class action waivers and arbitration provisions in ESOP and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) plan documents differently,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Low-Cost Index Funds in the Crosshairs of New 401(k) Lawsuits

Holland & Knight LLP on

Since late July, at least 10 lawsuits have been filed against large 401(k) plan sponsors that offer certain BlackRock Inc. target-date funds (TDF) among their investment options. In an unexpected pivot away from the 401(k)...more

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