Benefits

  • May 08, 2026

    Former Exec Says Herb Chambers Reneged On $10M Bonus

    A former vice president of a New England auto dealership group that sold for $1.34 billion last year says former owner Herb Chambers broke a promise to pay him a $10 million "closing bonus" upon the sale of the company, according to a complaint filed Friday in Massachusetts state court.

  • May 08, 2026

    Ex-Exec's Severance Fight Against Media Cos. Ends In NJ

    A New Jersey federal judge closed the books on a years-long severance dispute between A360 Media LLC, Bauer Media Group USA LLC and a former executive, after entering a sealed opinion and order terminating the case.

  • May 08, 2026

    DOL Benefits Chief Warns Of 'Bad Faith' Focus On ESG, DEI

    The top official for the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits subagency said at a trade association conference Friday that agency investigations will focus on benefit plan managers' loyalty conflicts, including disloyal pursuits of socially conscious investing or diversity goals.

  • May 08, 2026

    BofA, Merrill Deferred Compensation Suit Kicked To NC

    A suit alleging two Merrill Lynch financial advisers were deprived of their deferred pay belongs in North Carolina, a New Jersey federal judge ruled, siding with the wealth management company's argument that the workers' compensation agreements included a forum selection clause.

  • May 07, 2026

    Estée Lauder Investors Reach $210M Deal Over Share Inflation

    Estée Lauder investors on Thursday asked a New York federal judge to greenlight a $210 million settlement resolving their proposed class claims that the cosmetics company and its top brass announced unrealistic expectations for growth amid the ongoing effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business.

  • May 07, 2026

    La. Says Mailed Abortion Pills Harm State Budget, Sovereignty

    The state of Louisiana on Thursday defended its standing to challenge telehealth access to the abortion medication mifepristone, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that it has suffered financial and other injuries as mail-order pills flood the state.

  • May 07, 2026

    Delta Pilots Ask Full 11th Circ. To Rehear Leave Bias Suit

    A group of former Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots whose suit over their use of paid military leave was dismissed by the Eleventh Circuit last month asked the full circuit to consider their claims of "company-wide hostility against military service."

  • May 07, 2026

    DOL Can Argue With Honeywell, Siemens In 401(k) Appeals

    The Third Circuit on Thursday granted the U.S. Department of Labor time to argue in two cases where workers are seeking to revive proposed class actions alleging their employers violated federal benefits law by misallocating forfeitures from an employee 401(k) plan.

  • May 07, 2026

    Grocery Chain Can't Escape Suit Challenging 401(k) Plan Fees

    A Florida federal judge declined a supermarket chain's bid to toss a suit claiming it stood by while workers were charged too much in recordkeeping fees through its retirement plan, crediting evidence that similar plans may have received better recordkeeping deals.

  • May 07, 2026

    USW Seeks TRO On Retiree Healthcare Shift By Saint-Gobain

    The United Steelworkers is asking a Pennsylvania federal court to block materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain from changing retiree healthcare benefits for union workers at multiple facilities while the parties arbitrate whether the changes violate their collective bargaining agreements.

  • May 07, 2026

    Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

    A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

  • May 07, 2026

    New PBGC Amicus Program Offers Input On Important Cases

    Litigants involved in benefits cases that involve novel or significant pension-related issues can now ask the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. to lodge briefs shedding light on their disputes, the PBGC announced Thursday.

  • May 07, 2026

    Frontier Agrees To Settle 401(k) Suit Over Verizon Stock

    Frontier Communications Corp. has agreed to end a proposed class action claiming its employee 401(k) plan was improperly overinvested in Verizon Wireless and other telecommunications stocks, according to a filing in Connecticut federal court.

  • May 07, 2026

    Energy, Investment Cos. Ink $2.6M Target-Date Fund Suit Deal

    A public utility company and its 401(k) plan investment adviser agreed to pay $2.6 million to end a class action alleging that underperforming target-date funds dragged down energy company workers' retirement savings, according to the proposed deal filed in Missouri federal court.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fla. Court Asked To Lift Freeze In $91M Fake Health Plans Suit

    Two siblings asked a Florida federal court Wednesday to lift an asset freeze in the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit alleging they sold $91 million of fake health benefits on the Affordable Care Act exchange, arguing they need money to pay their attorneys. 

  • May 06, 2026

    Fast Food Co. Is Reading ERISA All Wrong, Workers Say

    Workers claiming Inspire Brands' health plans illegally charge higher rates to tobacco users told a Georgia federal court Tuesday that the company's reading of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ignores the law's plain text and "leads to an absurd result."

  • May 06, 2026

    Pharmacy Axed Worker For Joining Army Reserve, Suit Says

    An Atlanta-area pharmacy unlawfully fired an employee because she joined the U.S. Army Reserve, the former worker alleged in a complaint filed in Georgia federal court, saying the owner said she "needed someone that was going to be at work."

  • May 06, 2026

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DHS Officer's Disability Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has declined to reinstate a fired immigration officer's suit claiming the Department of Homeland Security failed to accommodate his medical issues, saying that his claims were "meritless" and that he hadn't properly attempted to resolve them within the agency before filing suit.

  • May 06, 2026

    Democrats Urge EEOC Chair Not To Roll Back IVF Protections

    Over a dozen Democratic senators urged the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to preserve safeguards for workers undergoing fertility treatments, asserting in a letter that Chair Andrea Lucas' plans to rewrite Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations could lead employers to unlawfully deny employees' accommodation requests.

  • May 06, 2026

    NJ Judge Says Honeywell Fee Bid Must Wait For Appeal

    A New Jersey federal judge has said a Honeywell request for nearly $81,000 in attorney fees must wait while a former worker appeals the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging that the company violated federal law by mismanaging 401(k) forfeitures.

  • May 05, 2026

    DC Circ. Judge Jabs Pharma Atty For 10 Minutes In Price Fight

    The first D.C. Circuit showdown in widespread drug pricing litigation Tuesday appeared unlikely to deliver a badly needed win to the pharmaceutical industry, as a top manufacturer's attorney faced a cool reception generally and an extended barrage of skepticism from one judge.

  • May 05, 2026

    Chemours Investor Suit Over Financial Metrics Axed, For Now

    A Delaware federal judge on Friday dismissed a proposed class action brought by Chemours investors alleging that the chemical company's executives manipulated financial metrics for personal gain, saying the plaintiffs didn't show the existence of a material misrepresentation.

  • May 05, 2026

    Worker Fights 2nd Circ.'s Toss Of Teamsters Fund ERISA Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court should revive claims that the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund was mismanaged, a Teamsters-represented worker argued, asking the justices to breathe new life into his twice-dismissed Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit.

  • May 05, 2026

    Potato Co. Gets Defense Attys DQ'ed In Benefits Plan Suit

    A Washington federal judge disqualified Cicotte Law Firm PLLC on Tuesday from representing a consultant accused of mismanaging Oregon Potato Co.'s employee benefits plan, concluding the food processor has shown a potential conflict of interest based on the reasonable belief that it was previously a client of the firm.

  • May 05, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Litigation Developments From April

    The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a bakery company's bid for review of a union multiemployer pension withdrawal bill, the Fourth Circuit held a bonus plan was exempt from federal benefits law, and the Sixth Circuit ruled federal law preempted Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager laws and regulations. Here's more on those and two other major decisions from April that benefits attorneys may want to know.

Expert Analysis

  • Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year

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    The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

  • 5 Action Steps For Employers Facing 27 Pay Periods In 2026

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    In 2026, some employers may have 27 pay periods, instead of the usual 26, which can cause budgeting and compliance headaches, particularly for salaried employees, but there is still time to develop a strategy to avoid payroll compliance problems, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

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    Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

  • Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

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    Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • 4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

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    As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

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    Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

  • Del. Dispatch: What Tesla Decision Means For Exec Comp

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    The recent Delaware Supreme Court decision granting Tesla CEO Elon Musk his full pay, now valued at $139 billion, following a yearslong battle appears to reject the view that supersized compensation may be inherently unfair to a corporation and its shareholders, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

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    2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

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    There were significant developments in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation in 2025, including plaintiffs pushing the bounds of sponsor and fiduciary liability and defendants scoring district court wins, and although the types of claims might change, ERISA litigation will likely be just as active in 2026, say attorneys at Groom Law.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

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