Benefits

  • August 21, 2026

    Army Immunity Ends Defrauded Families' Malpractice Claims

    A New Jersey federal judge tossed legal malpractice claims against attorney Natalie Khawam Case and the law firm she founded, finding that a group of Gold Star families could not show that their underlying allegations against the U.S. Army would have survived the Federal Tort Claims Act's limits on suing the government.

  • August 20, 2026

    Coal Co. Loses 4th Circ. Challenge To Black Lung Benefits

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday upheld a Black Lung Benefits Act award to a former underground electrician, finding that an administrative law judge reasonably relied on two medical experts who linked his chronic lung problems to nearly 12 years of coal mine work.

  • August 20, 2026

    Coal Producer Must Face Suit Over Retirement Plan Fees

    A coal company can't escape a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully allowed its employee retirement plan to pay exorbitant recordkeeping fees, an Oklahoma federal judge ruled Thursday, saying workers' allegations that other plans paid far less were sufficient to stay in court.

  • August 20, 2026

    Judge Denies Bid To Move AT&T ERISA Case To State Court

    A California federal judge has denied a former AT&T employee's bid to move his class action suit alleging violations of state labor law over a tobacco surcharge on employee health plans from federal to state court.

  • August 20, 2026

    Vestis, Aramark Opposition To Cert. Bid 'Absurd,' Judge Told

    A group of institutional investors urged a Georgia federal court to certify claims accusing uniform supplier Vestis Corp. and food and facilities services giant Aramark of making misleading statements about Vestis' operations prior to its 2023 spinoff from Aramark, saying several of the defendants' arguments opposing certification have been addressed.

  • August 20, 2026

    Amgen Reaches Deal To End Ex-Worker's Tobacco Fee Fight

    Biotech giant Amgen Inc. struck a deal to end a proposed class action alleging a $150-a-month fee on the health plans of employees who used tobacco violated federal benefits law, according to a filing in California federal court Thursday.

  • August 20, 2026

    Frontier's $14M Deal In 401(k) Verizon Stock Suit Gets 1st OK

    A Connecticut federal judge has given his initial OK to a $14 million settlement Frontier Communications Corp. has reached to end a proposed class action over claims its employee 401(k) plan was overinvested in Verizon Wireless and other telecommunications stocks.

  • August 20, 2026

    NY Hospital To Pay $3M In Suit Over Retirement Plan Roster

    A Long Island hospital will pay $3 million to close a suit claiming it failed to trim pricey and underperforming investment funds from its retirement plan, costing workers millions of dollars in savings, according to a filing in New York federal court.

  • August 19, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives Signature Bank Investor Suit Against Execs

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday revived a shareholder lawsuit over alleged misstatements about Signature Bank's health ahead of its 2023 collapse, finding that a New York federal court was wrong to toss the case because securities fraud claims against the defunct bank do not transfer to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as the banks' receiver.

  • August 19, 2026

    Generac Investors Ask 7th Circ. To Revive COVID Sales Suit

    A pension fund has urged the Seventh Circuit to revive a securities class action accusing home generator company Generac Holdings Inc. and its top brass of failing to keep up with a surge in business during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing the lower court erroneously found that the statements challenged by the suit were immaterial.

  • August 19, 2026

    Asurion Fired Manager Over Bias Report, Anxiety, Suit Says

    A technology insurance company fired a Black manager whom it had recognized as "one of the strongest salespeople in the country" after she took medical leave to deal with anxiety exacerbated by alleged retaliation she received for raising concerns about a manager's sexually and racially offensive behavior, according to a complaint filed in Tennessee federal court Wednesday.

  • August 19, 2026

    Cracker Barrel Can't Toss ERISA Tobacco Fee Suit

    Cracker Barrel must face a proposed class action alleging that a surcharge on the health plans of workers who used tobacco violated federal benefits law, after a Tennessee federal judge on Wednesday found that an ex-worker sufficiently backed up allegations that a wellness program implementing the fee didn't meet all federal requirements.

  • August 19, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs Blue Cross Over Reimbursement Rate Dispute

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday upheld Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's defeat of a lawsuit alleging it shortchanged several medical providers despite promising higher reimbursement rates before a La-Z-Boy employee received care, ruling the providers' claims were superseded by federal benefits law.

  • August 19, 2026

    Rutgers RAs Sue University Over Unpaid Minimum, OT Wages

    A former Rutgers University resident assistant sued the school in New Jersey federal court Wednesday, alleging the university treats dormitory supervisors as free labor, compensating them primarily with housing and meal benefits while failing to pay minimum wages or overtime for hours worked.

  • August 19, 2026

    Gallagher Knocks Out 401(k) Stable Value Fund Suit

    An Illinois federal judge tossed a proposed class action against global insurance brokerage and consulting company Gallagher from ex-workers who claimed they lost millions on a stable value fund in their 401(k) plan, holding that their allegations failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law.

  • August 19, 2026

    Rising Star: Amazon's Katila Howard

    Katila Howard has strengthened employee benefits governance and compliance for Amazon, and helped negotiate a $2 million settlement to end a suit against Whole Foods over an employee 401(k) plan, earning her a spot among the top benefits attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 19, 2026

    Deloitte Can't Shake Leave Bias Suit From Ex-Manager

    A California federal court has refused to dismiss a proposed class action accusing Deloitte Consulting LLP of penalizing employees through a performance evaluation system that shortchanges the compensation of workers who take parental or pregnancy leave.

  • August 18, 2026

    At DC Circ., Pharma's Latest Pricing Loss Has Silver Linings

    The pharmaceutical industry's far-flung crusade against Medicare's new negotiation powers suffered a fresh setback Tuesday as the D.C. Circuit joined sister circuits in upholding the landmark pricing program, but the defeat contained consolation prizes that will fuel further litigation.

  • August 18, 2026

    BofA Loses Bid To Exit COVID-Era Calif. Benefits Card MDL

    A California federal judge largely denied Bank of America's bid for an early win in multidistrict litigation over allegations the bank mishandled reports of unauthorized ATM transactions on unemployment benefits cards issued during the pandemic, according to an opinion unsealed Tuesday.

  • August 18, 2026

    Ex-NFL Player Sues Disability Benefits Plan Over Denial

    A former National Football League player who reportedly suffered brain injuries from nearly two decades of playing the sport hit the league's disability benefit plan with a lawsuit Tuesday, telling a Maryland federal judge that the plan wrongfully denied his application for total and permanent disability benefits despite his own doctor's diagnosis.

  • August 18, 2026

    Black & Decker Retiree Seeks Cert. In BlackRock ERISA Suit

    A former Black & Decker employee who alleged the company failed to trim underperforming BlackRock investment funds from its 24,000-member retirement plan urged a Connecticut federal judge to grant class certification, arguing Monday common questions predominate over individualized issues, since the core allegations involve the defendant's administration of the plan. 

  • August 18, 2026

    Alerus, Telecom Co. Settle Fight Over ESOP Sale

    A telecommunications business and employee stock ownership plan trustee Alerus Financial have agreed to settle a suit claiming workers were shortchanged in a $7.2 million sale of company shares, according to a California federal court filing.

  • August 18, 2026

    Marriott Gets Trim Of Worker's Tobacco Health Fee Suit

    A Maryland federal judge on Tuesday refused to completely toss a Marriott worker's proposed class action alleging the hotel giant's $15 weekly health fee on employees who use tobacco violated federal benefits law, but trimmed the dispute of some claims as insufficiently backed up. 

  • August 18, 2026

    Rising Star: Holland & Knight's Monica Perkowski

    Monica Perkowski of Holland & Knight LLP has excelled in defending large employers against federal benefits lawsuits, including helping secure dismissal of an employee health plan suit against GardaWorld Cash Service Inc., earning her a spot among the top benefits attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 18, 2026

    Colo. House Aide Says Dem Lawmakers Forced Her Out

    A former Colorado House legislative aide accused three Democratic lawmakers in state court of violating her constitutional rights by retaliating against her for criticizing the handling of her medical leave and refusing to perform campaign work, creating conditions that forced her to resign.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: What Cross-Selling Truly Takes

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    Early-career attorneys may struggle to introduce clients to practitioners in other specialties, but cross-selling becomes easier once they know why it’s vital to their first years of practice, which mistakes to avoid and how to anticipate clients' needs, say attorneys at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • What's At Stake In Possible Circuit Split On Medicaid Rule

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    A recent Eleventh Circuit decision, reviving Florida's lawsuit against a federal rule that reduces Medicaid funding based on agreements between hospitals, sets up a potential circuit split with the Fifth Circuit, with important ramifications for states looking to private administrators to run provider tax programs, say Liz Goodman, Karuna Seshasai and Rebecca Pitt at FTI Consulting.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closure Highlights Labor Law Stakes

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    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's recently announced closure, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied relief from an injunction mandating that the newspaper restore terms from its previous collective bargaining agreement, illustrates that prematurely declaring an impasse and implementing unilateral changes carries risk, says Sunshine Fellows at Freeman Mathis.

  • Prepping Employee Health Plans For This Year's Compliance

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    2026 employee health plan compliance will kick off with a major privacy compliance deadline, requiring a coordinated set of document updates, vendor confirmations and enrollment communications to allocate attention effectively between new requirements and existing protocols, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

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    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Traditional FCA Enforcement Surges Amid Shifting Priorities

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s January report on False Claims Act enforcement in fiscal year 2025 reveals that while the administration signaled its intent to expand FCA enforcement into new areas such as tariffs, for now the greatest exposure remains in traditional areas like healthcare — in which the risk is growing, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

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