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
We recently reported on a district court decision holding that the Central States Pension Fund’s calculation of withdrawal liability should not have included contribution rate increases imposed after the Fund’s implementation...more
In a rare victory for employers that participate in multiemployer pension plans, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the interest rate memorialized in the Segal Blend actuarial assumption was inappropriate to use in...more
Bd. of Trs. of Pacific Coast Pension Plan v. Petersen-Dean, Inc., Civ. Action No. 18–6824, 2020 WL 2404613 (N.D. Cal. May 12, 2020) is the latest court decision to reject an employer’s argument in favor of adopting an...more
Under ERISA, withdrawal liability disputes are subject to mandatory arbitration. The parties are tasked with mutually selecting the arbitrator, but if they reach an impasse in the selection process, a federal district court...more
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a decision that may make it harder for multiemployer pension funds to collect withdrawal liability: GCIU-Employer Retirement Fund v. Coleridge Fine Arts, No. 19-3161, 2020...more
The Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980 ("MPPAA") amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") and the Internal Revenue Code to make "trade[s] or business[es]" that are under "common...more
Key Points - The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed a lower court decision which held that two affiliated private equity funds with indirect ownership interests in the same portfolio company were liable for...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has held in Sun Capital Partners III, LP v. New England Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Fund that two Sun Capital Funds were not under common control with Scott Brass...more
On November 22, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that two separate private equity funds managed by the same general partner/management firm were not liable for the pension fund withdrawal...more
First Circuit: Two affiliated funds did not form an implied partnership liable for pension obligations of a portfolio company, but private equity funds can still be subject to controlled group pension liability...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a long-awaited decision with significant impact for the private equity industry, in Sun Capital Partners III, LP v. New England Teamsters & Trucking Industry Pension Fund, the United States Court of...more
The First Circuit, however, disagreed with the lower court. Analyzing the multi-factor test for establishing partnership status under federal tax court precedent and noting the lack of other formal guidance from regulators or...more
“Exit Contribution” an End-Run Around de minimis Withdrawal Liability - A recent ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund v. Four-C-Aire, Inc. (4th Cir. July...more
In Bauwnes v. Revcon Technology Group, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the trustees of a multiemployer pension plan could not agree to an employer’s installment payment plan of its withdrawal...more
On June 1, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that an asset purchaser that was deemed a successor was liable to pay the seller’s withdrawal liability even though the purchaser did not have actual...more