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Employer Liability Issues Fiduciary Duty

Verrill

Preparing for “Untoward Practical Results”—Implications and Action Items for ERISA Attorneys Following Cunningham v. Cornell...

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The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision Cunningham v. Cornell University, 145 S.Ct. 1020 (2025) significantly lowers the pleading standard for prohibited transaction claims under Section 406(a) of the Employee Retirement...more

A&O Shearman

UK Pensions in dispute - July 2025

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A scheme has been ordered to pay over GBP50,000 by the Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) for failure to pay lump sum death benefits within a two-year window set out in the scheme’s rules: CAS-66581-S4T8. The rules provided that...more

Hall Benefits Law

PBM Contracts Could Expose Plan Sponsors to Fiduciary Liability

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A plan sponsor’s fiduciary duty to be transparent in Pharmacy Benefit Manager contracts safeguards plan participants’ interests and mitigates the risk of litigation, regulatory penalties, and reputational harm, say Hall...more

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

Mayer Brown

DB Pension Surpluses – Relaxation of Extraction Rules

Mayer Brown on

The government has responded to the previous government's 2024 consultation on options in the DB context to provide better outcomes for members, drive a more consolidated market, and enable pension funds to invest in a...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Withdrawal Liability Collection Scope Expanded

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Takeaway Related Links Article The Third Circuit’s recent ruling enhanced a pension fund’s ability to pursue withdrawal liability collection against affiliated employers. The decision underscores the evolving nature of ERISA,...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Affiliated plan providers of big plans get slaughtered

Following a jury’s decision to award over $38 million to a class of more than 26,000 participants in Pentegra’s multiple employer plan, the issue of working with providers affiliated with the plan sponsor highlights the...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

Maynard Nexsen

JPMorgan Sued Over Management of Prescription Drug Benefits

Maynard Nexsen on

On March 13, 2025, several current and former participants in the JPMorgan Chase Health Care and Insurance Program for Active Employees, as well as its component Medical Plan (collectively referred to as the “Plan”) filed a...more

Verrill

Does ERISA Work?

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On Labor Day, September 2, 1974, Gerald Ford signed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) into law. ERISA governs the employee benefit plans (i.e., retirement and welfare plans) of most private employers in...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Excessive Fee Cases: Not Just for Retirement Plans Anymore

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A recent wave of cases has attempted to apply the theory of liability for retirement plan excessive fee cases to health plans – specifically, arrangements with pharmacy benefit managers. Though the cases thus far have...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

Holland & Hart - The Benefits Dial

Every Little Thing … Employer Considerations as New 401(k) Lawsuit Includes Extensive Claims

by Alex Smith A recently filed lawsuit related to Swiss Re’s 401(k) plan stands out because of the extensive assortment of allegations...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

How to Protect Your ESOP from Lawsuits Over Cash Holdings

At least four lawsuits have recently been filed against employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) fiduciaries alleging a failure to prudently invest cash held in the ESOP trust. While scrutiny of investments in company stock has...more

A&O Shearman

Pensions in dispute - March 2025

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Welcome to our quarterly pensions litigation briefing, designed to help pensions managers identify key risks in scheme administration, and trustees update their knowledge and understanding. This briefing highlights recent...more

Verrill

Spence v. American Airlines: A Texas Court’s View of the Duty of Loyalty under ERISA

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Since we last discussed environmental, social, and corporate governance (“ESG”) developments in the context of ERISA retirement plans, ESG litigation has taken a rather unexpected turn. Although the plan lineup in Spence v....more

Warner Norcross + Judd

Key Update on WARN Act: Bankruptcy Court Limits Employer Liability in Mass Layoffs

The Federal Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to give workers 60 days’ written notice of a plant closing or mass termination. In the latest update to an important case interpreting the...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Things I Worry About (8): DOL Investigations and Unsuspecting Plan Sponsors (2)

As explained in my last post, Things I Worry About (7), the DOL’s EBSA has a number of programs that can restore benefits to plans and participants. Those include: - Civil investigations. - Criminal investigations. -...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

BREAKING: DOL Expands the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published in the Federal Register an updated version of the Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFCP) under Title I of ERISA. Per the DOL, VFCP “is designed to encourage...more

Lowenstein Sandler LLP

The Advantages and Requirements for Severance Plans Subject to ERISA

Lowenstein Sandler LLP on

This episode of “Just Compensation” features Andrew E. Graw, Megan Monson, and Jessica I. Kriegsfeld of Lowenstein Sandler's Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits group discuss when severance plans will be subject to...more

Verrill

Department of Labor Launches Retirement Savings Lost and Found

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The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 added new Section 523 to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), requiring the Department of Labor (the “Department”) to establish an online database called the Retirement...more

Fisher Phillips

Rising ERISA Class-Action Lawsuits Over Tobacco Surcharges in Health Plans: What Employers Need to Know + 6 Steps to Stay...

Fisher Phillips on

A wave of ERISA class-action lawsuits is challenging tobacco surcharge programs in employer-sponsored health plans across the U.S. These cases center on potential fiduciary breaches, with plaintiffs arguing that surcharges...more

JAMS

Recent Developments in the Enforcement of ERISA Class Action Waiver and Arbitration Clauses

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In recent months, various federal district and circuit courts have considered the enforceability of language in employer-sponsored retirement and welfare plans requiring that participants arbitrate their claims for breach of...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - October 2024

The October Monthly Minute highlights two recent retirement plan cases, one in which the court sides with the plan and emphasizes plan administrative review over specific investment results and another where plaintiffs are...more

Verrill

Final Mental Health Parity Rule Spells Compliance Changes

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The long-anticipated final rule under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) was published on September 9, 2024. The MHPAEA prohibits group health plans that provide mental health and substance use...more

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