Benefits

  • August 30, 2024

    Business Process Co. Beats Class Status Bid In 401(k) Suit

    A New York federal judge refused to grant class status to a group of workers who said that a business process outsourcing company failed to keep the costs of its 401(k) plan in check, ruling they didn't demonstrate that all plan participants had paid the same fees.

  • August 30, 2024

    3 Atty Takeaways On What's Ahead As ERISA Turns 50

    As the Employee Retirement Income Security Act turns 50 years old this Labor Day, attorneys reflecting on five decades of development of the federal employee benefits law see a complex path ahead for both litigation and policy. Here are three key takeaways from top attorneys on what’s next for ERISA on its golden anniversary.

  • August 30, 2024

    Off The Bench: NFL Lets PE In, Ex-NBA Pro Denies Agent Deal

    In this week’s Off The Bench, the NFL shakes up its ownership rules and joins the rest of the pro sports world, while a former NBA player says his agency is trying to cling to him after he moved on. In case you were sidelined this week, Law360 is here to catch you up on the sports and betting stories that had our readers talking.

  • August 30, 2024

    Steel Co. Escapes 401(k) Investment Lineup Fight, For Now

    An Indiana federal judge tossed a suit claiming a steel producer cost workers millions in their $2 billion retirement plan by tapping underperforming funds for its investment lineup, ruling the suit lacks proof that the funds performed far worse than others on the market.

  • August 29, 2024

    IBM Unit's Repurchase Not Blocked By Del. Litigation Privilege

    An International Business Machines Corp. affiliate can enforce a stake repurchase option against a former executive suing the company, a Delaware judge ruled Thursday, saying statements he made in legal filings can trigger the repurchase provision in his nondisparagement agreement.

  • August 29, 2024

    Pa. Justices To Examine Axing Of 'Red Book' Drug Pricing

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has agreed to review a decision tossing the "Red Book" pricing values used by the state's Bureau of Workers' Compensation to calculate reimbursement for prescription drug costs.

  • August 29, 2024

    Airline Ducks Liquidated Damages In Military Leave Suit

    A class of pilots accusing American Airlines of violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 by denying pay for time spent on military leave can't seek liquidated damages, given a lack of evidence that the airline knew it was breaking the law, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    8th Circ. Won't Revive O'Reilly Auto Parts 401(k) Fee Suit

    The Eighth Circuit refused Thursday to reopen a proposed class action claiming O'Reilly Automotive Inc. let its $1.1 billion employee retirement plan be saddled with excessive investment management and record-keeping fees, ruling workers leading the suit hadn't provided meaningful comparisons by which to measure the plan's costs.

  • August 29, 2024

    GAO Suggests IRS Improve Retirement Account Oversight

    The Internal Revenue Service needs to beef up its oversight of conflicts of interest between fiduciaries and individual retirement account investors, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report.

  • August 29, 2024

    Conn. ER Docs Ask To Drop Harvard Pilgrim Insurance Fight

    A staffing company covering six Connecticut emergency rooms has asked a federal judge to dismiss its lawsuit against Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of Connecticut Inc. after the state's highest court last week ruled in the insurer's favor on three certified questions of law regarding a surprise billing statute.

  • August 29, 2024

    Full 11th Circ. Won't Rehear Ala. Trans Care Ban Challenge

    The Eleventh Circuit said it will not reconsider its ruling allowing Alabama to enact a ban on certain gender-affirming medical care for minors, knocking down a challenge brought by parents and those who received the treatment of the circuit's ruling, which found that the ban doesn't flout constitutional rights.

  • August 29, 2024

    Waters Corp. Strikes Deal To End 401(k) ERISA Action

    Waters Corp. has indicated that it plans to settle a proposed class action brought by a former employee claiming the company's mismanagement of its retirement plan violated its fiduciary duty to plan participants.

  • August 29, 2024

    Healthcare Co.'s $1.5M Pension Fund Deal Gets Initial OK

    A Massachusetts federal judge initially approved a $1.5 million class action deal halting a federal benefits suit against a healthcare company alleging it filled its $500 million pension plan with costly investments and failed to keep administrative fees low.

  • August 29, 2024

    GOP States Ask Justices To Undo Trans Patients' 4th Circ. Win

    A group of two dozen Republican attorneys general told the U.S. Supreme Court it should review a Fourth Circuit decision barring West Virginia and North Carolina from excluding coverage of gender-affirming medical care for transgender people, arguing states need the power to control controversial nascent treatments.

  • August 29, 2024

    Cintas Corp.'s $4M 401(k) Fee Suit Deal Gets Final OK

    An Ohio federal judge granted final approval to a $4 million settlement ending a proposed class action alleging that uniform supplier Cintas Corp. ran afoul of its fiduciary duties under federal benefits law.

  • August 28, 2024

    TikTok Moderation Co. Can't Beat Investor Suit Over Exposés

    A Florida federal judge ruled Wednesday that TikTok content moderation company Teleperformance must face a pension fund's proposed class action alleging that investors were harmed after investigative reports were published claiming that the company was working its staff into the ground and forcing them to watch harmful content with no support.

  • August 28, 2024

    Raymond James Hit With Suit Over 'Cash Sweep' Programs

    Financial services giant Raymond James faces a proposed class action in Florida federal court alleging its so-called cash sweep programs offer interest rates "significantly lower" than those offered by competitors, in violation of federal law.

  • August 28, 2024

    Ex-Exec's $1M Suit Accuses Houston McNair Family Of 'Coup'

    A longtime employee of the Houston McNair family has accused the children of late businessman Bob McNair of staging a "coup" to oust him from the family's companies, denying him more than $1 million in post-termination benefits in the process.

  • August 28, 2024

    Lipitor Buyers Seek Final OK For $35M Deal In Antitrust Fight

    End-payor plaintiffs asked a New Jersey federal judge Tuesday to give final approval of a $35 million settlement resolving their antitrust claims against Pfizer over the cholesterol medication Lipitor.

  • August 28, 2024

    Teamsters Can't Arbitrate Sysco Pension Spat, Judge Says

    A Teamsters local can't take its challenges about a monthly early retirement benefit to arbitration, a Michigan federal judge determined Wednesday, finding that the grievance process under a collective bargaining agreement doesn't cover the dispute.

  • August 28, 2024

    Engineering Co. Says Overpriced 401(k) Fee Suit Lacks Proof

    An engineering company urged a Virginia federal judge to toss a former employee's proposed class action alleging it automatically enrolled workers into a pricey managed account program in its $5.1 billion retirement plan, arguing that her suit hinges on a problematic "apples-to-oranges comparison."

  • August 28, 2024

    11th Circ. Trans Health Redo May Spark Supreme Court Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision to rehear Georgia county officials' appeal seeking to exclude gender-confirmation surgery from its employee healthcare coverage rekindles an appellate debate on the extent to which Title VII protects transgender workers that could soon reach the U.S. Supreme Court, attorneys say.

  • August 28, 2024

    'Big Baby' Scores Delayed Prison Date In Health Fraud Case

    Former Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis won approval from a Manhattan federal judge Wednesday to push back his prison surrender date on healthcare fraud charges so he can wrap up production of a documentary film.

  • August 28, 2024

    Insurer Avoids Covering $1.9M Conn. Securities Judgment

    A Liberty Mutual unit has no duty to cover an approximately $1.9 million stipulated judgment a couple won after alleging that certain officials of a company Liberty insured defrauded them into investing, a Connecticut state court ruled, finding that covering the judgment would violate state public policy.

  • August 28, 2024

    Conn. Investment Firm Withheld Pay, Commissions, Suit Says

    Six former employees of Connecticut investment advisory firm Excel Wealth Management LLC have sued the company and its members in state court seeking hourly wages or commissions they claimed they were never paid, with some alleging they were terminated for speaking out about their compensation.  

Expert Analysis

  • What DOL Fiduciary Rule Means For Private Fund Managers

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the U.S. Department of Labor's recently released final fiduciary rule, which revises the agency's 1975 regulation, could potentially cause private fund managers' current marketing practices and communications to be considered fiduciary advice, and therefore subject them to strict prohibitions.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.

  • Emerging Trends In ESG-Focused Securities Litigation

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    Based on a combination of shareholder pressure, increasing regulatory scrutiny and proposed rulemaking, there has been a proliferation of litigation over public company disclosures and actions regarding environmental, social, and governance factors — and the overall volume of such class actions will likely increase in the coming years, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • 9th Circ. Clarifies ERISA Preemption For Healthcare Industry

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bristol SL Holdings v. Cigna notably clarifies the broad scope of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's preemption of certain state law causes of action, standing to benefit payors and health plan administrators, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • A Closer Look At Feds' Proposed Banker Compensation Rule

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    A recently proposed rule to limit financial institutions' ability to award incentive-based compensation for risk-taking may progress through the rulemaking process slowly due to the sheer number of regulators collaborating on the rule and the number of issues under consideration, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

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