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Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Class Action Corporate Counsel

Husch Blackwell LLP

Employers Continue to Face ERISA Tobacco Surcharge Lawsuits, With Mixed Results

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Recently, companies have seen a spate of class action lawsuits challenging the legality of tobacco cessation wellness programs and related tobacco surcharges imposed by their employer-sponsored health benefit plans....more

A&O Shearman

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

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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

UB Greensfelder LLP

What Employers Should Know About Tobacco Surcharge Litigation

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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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Second Circuit Weighs in Against ERISA Arbitration

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Recently, the Second Circuit became the latest circuit refusing to enforce individual arbitration of an ERISA class action, joining the Third, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. The Ninth Circuit, by contrast, has held that class...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Takeaways from a Recent COBRA Notice Class Action Settlement

Recent years have seen a barrage of class action lawsuits alleging that group health plan continuation coverage election notices, required under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), are deficient in one...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Seventh Circuit Affirms Discretion Over Who Gets Severance Benefits

A recent Seventh Circuit decision affirms the principle that an ERISA severance plan can reserve to the employer discretion over who is eligible for severance benefits.  The case is Carlson v. Northrop Grumman Severance Plan,...more

Robinson Bradshaw

Tenth Circuit Prohibits Class-Action Waivers in Benefit Plan Documents

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It is no secret that many businesses minimize risk by requiring arbitration of disputes on an individual basis. The exposure created by a single claim pales next to that presented by a class claim, asserted under Rule 23, on...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Wisconsin District Court Rulings Signal Potential New Trend Favoring the Defense of ERISA Fee and Investment Performance Lawsuits

In a striking reversal of approach beginning in the summer of 2022, the District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin went from denying, in whole or in part, virtually every motion to dismiss ERISA lawsuits targeting...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Eighth Circuit Joins Growing Number of Courts Rejecting Common ERISA Fee and Investment Claims

In Matousek v. MidAmerican Energy Co., 2022 WL 6880771, __ F.4th __ (8th Cir. 2022), the Eighth Circuit joined the Sixth and Seventh Circuits in affirming dismissal of ERISA breach of fiduciary duty claims alleging that the...more

Alston & Bird

Class Action & MDL Roundup – Q1 2022

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Welcome back to the Class Action & MDL Roundup! This edition covers notable class actions from the first quarter of 2022. In this edition, COVID cases are still endemic for insurance companies, kids’ contracts are voidable...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Arbitration under ERISA: A Roadmap for Enforcement

As costly class action retirement plan litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) proliferates, mandatory individual arbitration has become an increasingly appealing alternative for certain benefit...more

Alston & Bird

Class Action & MDL Roundup – Fall 2021

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In the fall edition of the Class Action & MDL Roundup, covering notable class actions from the third quarter of 2021, a marriage nearly tears apart a certified class, insurers are vaccinated against more COVID-19 suits, and...more

Alston & Bird

Class Action & MDL Roundup – Summer 2021

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Welcome to the summer edition of the Class Action & MDL Roundup, covering significant decisions and settlements from the second quarter of 2021. In this edition, plaintiffs are doing their own science (badly), SCOTUS...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Fifth Circuit: Plan Participants Lacked Standing To Bring ERISA Fiduciary Breach Claims

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American Airlines, Inc. and its affiliated credit union recently defeated an appeal challenging a low-yield investment option in the airline’s 401(k) plan when the Fifth Circuit ruled that the plan participants lacked Article...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

Khan v. PTC, Inc.—Three Important Lessons From An Otherwise Unremarkable 401(k) Fee Case

According to Bloomberg Law, class actions challenging 401(k) plan fees are increasing at a record pace. The underlying claims in these class action suits fall into predictable categories that are all too familiar: excessive...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Despite Pandemic-Related Disruptions, Securities Class Action Filings Remain High With No Signs of Slowing

Despite unprecedented disruptions to the court system from the COVID-19 pandemic, plaintiffs continued to bring securities class actions at elevated levels in 2020 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead....more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

5 Top Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation: Trend #5 Class Certification Trends

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Seyfarth Synopsis: In our continuing coverage of the top trends found in Seyfarth’s 2021 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, wage & hour litigation remained the sweet spot for the plaintiffs’ class action bar over the...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

COVID-19 Retaliation Claims - A 2020 Trend in Employment Litigation?

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Tracking the onslaught of new lawsuits filed in response to the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that three primary categories of plaintiffs are bringing these claims against companies... ...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

5 Key Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation In 2019: #4 Lower Class Action Settlement Numbers In 2019

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Seyfarth Synopsis: As measured by the top ten largest case resolutions in various workplace class action categories, overall settlement numbers increased slightly in 2019, but as compared to the last several years, it was one...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

5 Key Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation For 2019: Trend #1 Class Certification Trends In 2019

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Seyfarth Synopsis: As detailed in our 2020 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, 2019 was an interesting year for employers in terms of class certification rulings. Plaintiffs achieved the highest numbers of initial...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

5 Key Trends In Workplace Class Action Litigation For 2019: Trend #2 The Impact Of U.S. Supreme Court Rulings

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: The second key trend from our 16th Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report involves rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. Over the past few years, the Supreme Court has issued a number of rulings that...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Seyfarth’s 2020 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report Is Now Available!

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Seyfarth Synopsis: Seyfarth’s 16th Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report analyzes 1,467 rulings and is our most comprehensive Report ever at 800 pages....more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

A Ninth Circuit Ruling Repaves the Intersection of ERISA and Arbitration Law

Dorman v. The Charles Schwab Corp. narrows the options of employees asserting breach of fiduciary duty in retirement plans. Breach of fiduciary duty claims that “arise out of” and “relate to” a 401(k) plan—including those...more

Littler

Striking Down Decades-Old Precedent, Ninth Circuit Rules That ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims May Be Arbitrated

Littler on

On August 20, 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion in Dorman v. Charles Schwab Corp., overturning its 1984 position in Amaro v. Continental Can Co. that lawsuits filed...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

15th Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report

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Seyfarth Synopsis: At 852 pages, Seyfarth’s 15th Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report analyzes 1,453 rulings and is our most comprehensive Report ever. ...more

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