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Benefits
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April 11, 2024
UnitedHealth Patients' Addiction Coverage Suit Revived, Again
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived for the second time a proposed class action accusing UnitedHealth of wrongly rejecting coverage for outpatient substance use disorder treatments in violation of federal benefits law, finding the plaintiff plausibly alleged the insurer employed an excessively strict review process for those claims.
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April 11, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Upends Jail Worker's $1.5M Win In USERRA Suit
A split Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday overturned a former county jail employee's $1.5 million jury trial win in his lawsuit alleging he was wrongly accused of taking invalid military leave and then fired, despite a dissent calling the majority's finding that he waived his right to sue "deplorable."
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April 11, 2024
Wells Fargo Wants Ex-CEO's $34M Back-Pay Suit Tossed
Wells Fargo & Co. has asked a California state court to throw out a lawsuit filed by former CEO Timothy Sloan that seeks $34 million in compensation he alleges was wrongfully withheld from him, a payout the bank maintains it doesn't owe.
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April 11, 2024
State Rules Can't 'Obliterate' Federal Rights, Justices Told
The U.S. Supreme Court must clarify that states are categorically prohibited from requiring plaintiffs to exhaust local administrative remedies before pursuing claims that state officials violated federal rights, several Alabamans told the court Thursday, warning that state prerequisites obliterate federal rights.
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April 11, 2024
Chipotle Pays $2.9M To End Seattle Wage Violation Probe
Fast-food chain Chipotle has agreed to pay nearly $2.9 million to more than 1,800 workers at eight of its restaurants in Seattle to resolve the city's investigation into employees' allegations that the employer violated local ordinances governing sick pay and scheduling, a city labor agency announced Thursday.
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April 11, 2024
Full 8th Circ. Hears Ark. Bid To Revive Youth Trans Care Ban
An en banc panel of the Eighth Circuit weighing whether to revive an Arkansas state law that banned gender-affirming care for children and teens heard oral arguments Thursday, as Arkansas officials sought to demonstrate that the law does not unconstitutionally discriminate based on sex.
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April 11, 2024
Summary Judgment 'Waste Of Time' In 401(k) Suit, Judge Says
Boston College will face a trial in a suit accusing the school of mismanaging its 401(k) retirement plans after a Massachusetts federal judge issued a 126-page memorandum Thursday in which he blamed himself for a "monumental waste of time" that was the two sides' summary judgment proceeding.
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April 11, 2024
Ex-Geico Agents Ask 6th Circ. To Revive Classification Suit
A group of former Geico agents asked the Sixth Circuit to revive their claims that they were misclassified and denied benefits, challenging the accuracy and relevance of plan documents that the lower court reviewed when dismissing the workers' suit.
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April 12, 2024
Rash Of 401(k) Forfeiture Suits Approach First Hurdles
Several recent lawsuits challenging how employers use 401(k) forfeitures — which occur when a worker leaves before an employer's matching contributions fully vest — are approaching critical early tests, with rulings expected on dismissal bids in the coming months. Here, Law360 looks at how this area of Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation has gained traction, and what to look out for next.
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April 11, 2024
Tech Co. Can't Knock Out Challenge To 401(k) Fees
A Missouri federal judge refused to toss a worker's suit accusing a technology company of wasting employees' retirement savings by charging their 401(k) plan excessive fees, ruling that he put forward enough proof showing similar plans snagged better deals.
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April 11, 2024
3 Firms Vie To Lead RTX Stockholder Suit Over Engine Cracks
Saxena White PA and Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP on Thursday sought appointments as co-lead counsel in pension fund lawsuits alleging RTX Corp.'s stock fell when it revealed that cracks in a subsidiary's jet engines cost billions to repair, with Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP also seeking to lead the case for an individual investor.
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April 11, 2024
Fired Yellow Corp. Workers Can Proceed With Class Action
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday lent support to a group of laid off Yellow Corp. workers in their bid to bring a class action against the insolvent trucking company, saying he would recognize claims tied to the terminations brought by both union members and others.
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April 11, 2024
Ex-NFL Players Near Settlement In Race-Norming Benefits Suit
Two former players whose lawsuit accuses the NFL's disability benefit plans of awarding them lower benefits because they are Black told a Maryland federal court they have had "productive" meetings with the defendants and are near a settlement proposal.
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April 10, 2024
Milliman Tells Trial Judge It Has No Liability For 401(k) Losses
Milliman Inc. said its directors had a limited duty related to alleged risky investments in employee retirement plans because responsibilities were delegated to a committee, in response to the Seattle federal judge who questioned during a trial's closing arguments Wednesday why the board "really didn't do much of anything."
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April 10, 2024
Cleaning Co. To Pay $400K In H-2B Workers' Exploitation Suit
Mexican guest workers and a cleaning company that recruited them to work at a Colorado luxury hotel asked a federal judge on Wednesday to grant initial approval of a $400,000 settlement on claims that the company committed myriad wage and visa law violations and threatened to deport workers who complained.
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April 10, 2024
9th Circ. Doubts Calif.'s Standing In DOL Union Transit Fight
The Ninth Circuit appeared open Wednesday to restoring the U.S. Department of Labor's power to deny California transit funding because of a perceived conflict between state pension law and bargaining rights, focusing on the state's standing in a dispute that began between the DOL and a union.
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April 10, 2024
Former X Worker Can't Force Doc Release In Bonus Suit
A California federal judge refused to grant an ex-worker's request that the court decide whether X Corp. must provide employee bonus-related documents to its former chief financial officer before he sits for a deposition, chiding the former worker for not filing a proper request.
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April 10, 2024
Ohio Appeals Court Remands AFSCME Reinstatement Row
An Ohio appeals court sent back to a lower court an arbitration award dispute over a township's claim that a maintenance worker "abandoned his position," finding Wednesday that an arbitrator did had the power under a labor contract to order reinstatement and make the employee whole.
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April 10, 2024
ADP Agrees To Massive Class In Suit Over 401(k) Fees
ADP agreed to the certification of a class numbering more than 50,000 in a suit alleging the company failed to negotiate lower costs for its $7.8 billion employee retirement plan and funneled plan assets to a subsidiary, according to a filing in New Jersey federal court.
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April 10, 2024
Class Attys Seek Big Payday For $100M Pattern Energy Deal
Class attorneys are urging the Delaware Chancery Court to approve a $100 million settlement to end state and federal court litigation over Pattern Energy Group Inc.'s $6.1 billion go-private sale in 2020 and award them $26 million in fees for a deal they say is the largest of its kind in the Chancery's history.
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April 10, 2024
Musk Deposition Decision Put Off In Twitter Layoff Fight
A California federal judge deferred ex-Twitter employees' request to depose X Corp. owner Elon Musk until after other defendants gave their depositions in a suit alleging the company violated federal laws requiring advance warning of mass layoffs.
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April 09, 2024
Prime Healthcare Lacked Oversight Of 401(k) Plan, Judge Told
An attorney who specializes in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation testified on Tuesday as the first witness in a California bench trial for two certified classes claiming Prime Healthcare Services Inc. poorly managed their 401(k) plans, and said the company's oversight of its investment committee was "almost a dereliction of duty."
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April 09, 2024
Colo. Justices Doubt Workers' Comp Stops Insurance Suits
A Colorado Supreme Court justice expressed doubt Tuesday that lawmakers, in crafting Colorado's workers' compensation law, intended to make employees choose between getting workers' comp and suing their employer's auto insurer when injured on the job by an underinsured driver — tackling a question that has stymied the state's federal judiciary.
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April 09, 2024
Carpenters Urge 9th Circ. To Restart Union Retirement Fight
A group of carpenters urged the Ninth Circuit to revive allegations that their union's retirement plan trustees played fast and loose with their savings, saying Tuesday that the trustees should face claims that their risky investment choices caused two retirement plans to plummet in value when the pandemic hit.
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April 09, 2024
4th Circ. Unravels MetLife's Win In Benefits Denial Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday reinstated a policyholder's lawsuit accusing Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. of wrongly cutting off his long-term disability benefits payments, saying a new precedent requires a bench trial in the dispute.
Expert Analysis
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$735M Tesla Settlement Drives Home Lessons For Boards
As one of the largest settlements of its kind, the recent $735 million deal between Tesla and 11 nonemployee directors highlights the increased scrutiny placed on compensation practices and director independence, and provides further caution to members of boards and their compensation committees, say attorneys at Cleary.
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To Hire And Keep Top Talent, Think Beyond Compensation
Firms seeking to appeal to sophisticated clients and top-level partners should promote mentorship, ensure that attorneys from diverse backgrounds feel valued, and clarify policies about at-home work, says Patrick Moya at Quaero Group.
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2nd Circ. Goldman Ruling May Hinder Securities Classes
The Second Circuit's recent Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v. Goldman Sachs decision, decertifying a class of investors and seemingly resolving a decadelong dispute, makes it substantially more difficult for plaintiffs to certify securities classes based on generic misstatements — a significant win for the defense bar, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Perspectives
More States Should Join Effort To Close Legal Services Gap
Colorado is the most recent state to allow other types of legal providers, not just attorneys, to offer specific services in certain circumstances — and more states should rethink the century-old assumptions that shape our current regulatory rules, say Natalie Anne Knowlton and Janet Drobinske at the University of Denver.
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Opinion
10th Circ. Remand Of ERISA Claims To Insurer Is Problematic
The Tenth Circuit recently gave the defendant another bite at the apple in David P. v. United Healthcare by remanding Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims for reprocessing, but the statute lacks any provision authorizing remands of ERISA cases, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Identifying Trends And Tips In Litigation Financing Disclosure
Growing interest and controversy in litigation financing raise several salient concerns, but exploring recent compelled disclosure trends from courts around the country can help practitioners further their clients' interests, say Sean Callagy and Samuel Sokolsky at Arnold & Porter.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Elrod On 'Jury Duty'
Though the mockumentary series “Jury Duty” features purposely outrageous characters, it offers a solemn lesson about the simple but brilliant design of the right to trial by jury, with an unwitting protagonist who even John Adams may have welcomed as an impartial foreperson, says Fifth Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.
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4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Opinion
3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point
The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
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Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention
As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.
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How A Union Fight Played A Key Role In Yellow's Bankruptcy
Finger-pointing between company and union representatives appears to be front and center at the early stages of trucking company Yellow’s bankruptcy case, highlighting the failed contract negotiations' role in the company's demise, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development
As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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SEC Focus On Perks Offers Insights On Cooperation
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Stanley Black & Decker is the latest example of the SEC's continued focus on executive perquisites and highlights what type of cooperation may be required to avoid a civil money penalty, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Perspectives
A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial
Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.
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How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness
Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.