Benefits

  • June 17, 2025

    UMB Says It Granted Ex-VP's Request For More Cancer Leave

    UMB Financial Corp. said an ex-executive's suit claiming she was illegally denied leave to recover from chemotherapy treatments can't stay in Colorado federal court, telling a judge her request to extend her monthslong leave was ultimately approved after the company initially raised concerns about her changing return-to-work date.

  • June 17, 2025

    1st Circ. Says Ex-Santander Loan Officer Can't Bypass ERISA

    A former high-earning mortgage development officer for Santander Bank cannot attempt an "end run" around the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by pursuing civil claims under Rhode Island state law over her 2022 firing, a First Circuit panel has ruled.

  • June 17, 2025

    Burford Blasts Interference Claim In Chicken Price-Fix Case

    The Illinois federal judge handling consolidated price-fixing litigation against the nation's largest chicken producers should throw out the settlement interference counterclaim Tyson lodged alongside its answer in the case because it is no more than a speculation-based "fishing expedition," litigation funder Burford Capital argued.

  • June 17, 2025

    Eversheds Hires ERISA Expert From Groom Law In DC

    Eversheds Sutherland announced Tuesday that it has hired an employee benefits attorney from Groom Law Firm in Washington, D.C., who has more than 25 years of experience counseling clients on related compliance matters.

  • June 16, 2025

    Petroleum Co. Owes $21M In Withdrawal Liability, Fund Says

    Petroleum company Sieveking Inc. was hit Monday with a $21 million withdrawal liability suit in Illinois federal court by a pension fund that says the company should be paying off its balance while it asks an arbitrator to weigh in.

  • June 16, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery this past week sought answers in the high-stakes battle over the constitutionality of newly enacted Delaware corporation law amendments, which will hitch a ride to the state's Supreme Court via a suit contesting a $117 million acquisition of Clearway Energy Inc. by its majority shareholder.

  • June 16, 2025

    Lowe's Faces Worker Class Claims Over Tobacco Surcharge

    Lowe's overcharges its employees for health insurance if they are tobacco users in violation of federal benefits law, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in North Carolina federal court.

  • June 16, 2025

    Fund Firm Must Face Investors' Suit Over Missing $18.5M

    A Pennsylvania federal judge allows claims brought by former Exelon employees against the estate of a deceased retirement fund manager to proceed to discovery, ruling the employees, who claim they haven't been able to find their invested funds since the fund manager died, have sufficiently pled fraud and other counts.

  • June 16, 2025

    Ohio Tells 6th Circ. PBM Case Doesn't Target Federal Work

    Ohio urged the Sixth Circuit to send its case accusing Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics of driving up prescription drug prices through rebate schemes back to state court, arguing the case doesn't target any federal government work by the pharmacy benefit managers.

  • June 16, 2025

    Energy Transfer Agrees To $15M Settlement In Pipelines Suit

    Energy Transfer and a group of investors have reached a $15 million settlement to resolve a class action claiming the company misled them about its $3 billion Mariner East 2 and Revolution pipeline projects, after a trial date for the case was scratched last month.

  • June 16, 2025

    HIV, AIDS Patients Denied Class Cert. In CVS Bias Fight

    A California federal judge has refused to certify a proposed class of HIV and AIDS patients alleging CVS Pharmacy Inc. violated federal disability bias protections by making their medication harder to access, finding the proposed group failed to meet the commonality standards under federal law. 

  • June 16, 2025

    JPMorgan Chase Beats ERISA 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed a proposed class action claiming JPMorgan Chase & Co. misused 401(k) plan forfeitures to cover its contributions, noting dismissals from other federal courts on similar claims challenging how employers have used the unvested funds.

  • June 16, 2025

    X Workers Say Musk Personally Liable In Severance Spat

    Elon Musk should be held personally liable for workers' unpaid severance benefits claims, the former X Corp. employees told a Delaware federal court, saying he retained so much control over the social media company that the company alone cannot be at fault.

  • June 16, 2025

    Ex-Mich. Worker Gets 3.5 Years For 'Awful' $1.5M COVID Fraud

    A former employee for the state of Michigan was sentenced Monday to spend 41 months in prison and pay $1.5 million in restitution, the amount of a conspiracy a federal judge called "awful" to defraud the government of money meant for unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • June 16, 2025

    ESOP Urges Court To Keep IRS Rule Challenge Alive

    An employee stock ownership plan and its related parties urged a Wisconsin federal court Monday not to toss their case against the IRS alleging the agency targeted them with additional tax reporting rules, saying the lawsuit does not illegally stop the agency from collecting taxes.

  • June 16, 2025

    High Court Won't Revisit Landmark Religious Freedom Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court vacated and remanded a case from a Roman Catholic diocese in New York on Monday, bypassing for now the chance to overturn a landmark ruling that restricts First Amendment religious freedom challenges.

  • June 13, 2025

    5th Circ. Says No Private Right Of Action In No Surprises Act

    The Fifth Circuit has ruled a pair of flight ambulance providers cannot pursue their lawsuit seeking to enforce out-of-network billing dispute resolution awards against a health insurance company, saying there's no private right of action built into a 2022 law that protects patients from surprise medical bills.

  • June 13, 2025

    Ga. Bank Ends Ex-Workers' Suit Over Liquidation Of Shares

    A Georgia-based bank agreed to settle a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully forced former workers out of its employee stock ownership plan, preventing them from receiving their share of a $23.3 million dividend on company stock, according to a filing Friday in federal court.

  • June 13, 2025

    Fired CSX Worker Says FMLA Claims Are Timely

    A former CSX Transportation Inc. employee's suit claiming he was fired for taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act were on pause while a similar class action was being litigated, he told a Florida federal judge Friday, urging the court to reject the transport company's dismissal bid.

  • June 13, 2025

    PwC Can't Get Sex Harassment Suit Kicked To Arbitration

    A New York federal judge declined to toss a former PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP principal's lawsuit alleging male colleagues berated her and took credit for her work before forcing her out, ruling a law curbing mandatory arbitration covered claims that she was mistreated because of her gender.

  • June 13, 2025

    'Outcry' Led To Workers' Comp Change, Conn. Attys Told

    A Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that empowered administrative law judges to award ongoing disability benefits created such an outcry that lawmakers intervened in order to cap the costs for entities that would shoulder those bills, attorneys at the state bar association's annual conference heard Friday.

  • June 13, 2025

    Akerman Seeks To Move Malpractice Suits From Medical Cos.

    Akerman LLP has asked to have two malpractice cases from medical laboratories moved from Palm Beach County to Miami-Dade County, where the firm's related unpaid fees case against Rennova Health Inc. is being litigated.

  • June 13, 2025

    Midyear Report: 5 ERISA Decisions Attys Should Know

    The U.S. Supreme Court revived retirement plan mismanagement allegations against Cornell University, the Sixth Circuit restarted a yacht company's suit against its health benefits administrator and American Airlines took a hit for emphasizing socially conscious investing in its 401(k) plan decisions. Here are five important decisions that came down in Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases during the first half of this year.

  • June 13, 2025

    CVS Wants To Halt Ark. Law Banning PBM-Owned Pharmacies

    CVS urged an Arkansas federal judge to block a new state law from taking effect that would ban pharmacy benefits managers from owning pharmacies in the state, arguing the law shirks the U.S. Constitution by tamping down competition and discriminating against out-of-state businesses.

  • June 13, 2025

    $69M UnitedHealth 401(k) Deal Gets Green Light

    A Minnesota federal judge granted final approval to a $69 million settlement agreement ending a class action claiming UnitedHealth Group kept underperforming funds in its 401(k) plan to preserve a business relationship with Wells Fargo.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • How Del. Supreme Court, Legislature Have Clarified 'Control'

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's January decision in In re: Oracle and the General Assembly's passage of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law this week, when taken together, help make the controlling-stockholder analysis clearer and more predictable for companies with large stockholders, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Retirement Plan Suits Show Value Of Cybersecurity Policies

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    Several data breach class actions that were recently filed against retirement plan administrator The Pension Specialists in Illinois federal court are a reminder that developing and following a good written cybersecurity policy provides a blueprint for compliance and may prevent lawsuits, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Recent Cases Highlight Latest AI-Related Civil Litigation Risks

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    Ongoing lawsuits in federal district courts reveal potential risks that companies using artificial intelligence may face from civil litigants, including health insurance coverage cases involving contractual and equitable claims, and myriad cases concerning securities disclosure claims, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Opinion

    We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment

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    As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Series

    Performing Stand-Up Comedy Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether I’m delivering a punchline on stage or a closing argument in court, balancing stand-up comedy performances and my legal career has demonstrated that the keys to success in both endeavors include reading the room, landing the right timing and making an impact, says attorney Rebecca Palmer.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From SEC To BigLaw

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    As I adjusted to the multifaceted workflow of a BigLaw firm after leaving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working side by side with new colleagues on complex matters proved the fastest way to build a deep rapport and demonstrate my value, says Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block.

  • Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession

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    For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Fix The SEC's Pay-To-Play Rule

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    Nearly 15 years after its adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pay-to-play rule is not working as intended — a notion recently echoed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce — and the commission should reconsider the strict liability standard, raise the campaign contribution limits and remove the look-back provision, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

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    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing

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    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit

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    The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright ruling created a twilight zone between express statutory delegations that trigger agency deference and implicit ones that do not, but the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Moctezuma-Reyes v. Garland crafted a two-part test for resolving cases within this gray area, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

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