Benefits

  • August 01, 2024

    House Workforce Chair Wants Mental Health Parity Regs Axed

    The Republican chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee told the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday it should not finalize regulations that aim to encourage employer compliance with a law requiring equitable mental health and substance use disorder treatments coverage, stating the rule burdens businesses.

  • August 01, 2024

    Chancery Denies Ex-InterMune CEO $6M Legal Fee Right

    Delaware's Chancery Court rejected on Thursday a bid by former InterMune CEO W. Scott Harkonen to escape demands to repay nearly $6 million in legal fees covered by biotech venture InterMune Inc. and insurers during his unsuccessful defense against a 2009 wire fraud conviction, denying all claims for legal fee indemnification.

  • August 01, 2024

    GE Retirees Reach Deal To Resolve Pension Benefits Dispute

    General Electric retirees announced Thursday they'd struck a deal with their former employer to resolve claims that GE improperly used a company spinoff to renounce responsibility for supplemental pension benefits reserved for senior executives, the plaintiff-side firm that represented the retirees said.

  • July 31, 2024

    Wells Fargo Let Workers' Prescription Costs Soar, Suit Says

    A group of former Wells Fargo employees have accused the banking giant of mismanaging its prescription drug benefits program, costing its Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan and employees millions of dollars in premiums and medication costs, according to a proposed class action in Minnesota federal court.

  • July 31, 2024

    Gov't Fights Doctor's Bid For New Trial In NBA Fraud Case

    Federal prosecutors are urging a New York district judge to reject a request for a retrial from a Seattle doctor found guilty for his role in a vast NBA fraudulent healthcare scheme, arguing that it properly admitted its evidence at trial, and it was more than enough to support the guilty verdict.

  • July 31, 2024

    Black Worker Says PBGC Didn't Promote Him Due To His Race

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. passed over a Black worker for a senior director role in favor of a less qualified white woman and retaliated against him for a previously filed race discrimination complaint, a lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court said.

  • July 31, 2024

    Honesty Worries Justify Gas Co. Worker Firing, 4th Circ. Says

    The Fourth Circuit upheld a Baltimore gas company's win over a former mechanic's lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully terminated for taking medical leave because of a diabetes-related condition, ruling Wednesday that suspicions of dishonesty provided a credible reason for letting him go.

  • July 31, 2024

    Saul Ewing Adds 2 Employee Benefits Attys On East Coast

    Saul Ewing LLP announced Wednesday that it has grown its employee benefits and executive compensation practice on the East Coast with two attorneys, one from Ivins Phillips & Barker and another from Hogan Lovells.

  • July 31, 2024

    Southern Co. Beats Retirees' Suit Over Mortality Data

    Federal benefits law doesn't mandate specific actuarial assumptions in the calculation of pension payments, a Georgia federal judge ruled as he tossed a proposed class action alleging that a Southern Co. subsidiary's use of decades-old mortality tables shorted retirees by thousands of dollars.

  • July 31, 2024

    Guatemalan Worker Says Paint Co. Fired Him For Injury

    A Guatemalan worker in the U.S. on a work visa is suing a Connecticut painting company in state court, saying it violated employment laws by failing to pay him his promised salary and firing him after a workplace injury prevented him from being able to do his job.

  • July 31, 2024

    Firms Must Justify $1.4M Fee Bid In State Street Settlement

    A Massachusetts federal judge who oversaw a yearslong attorney overbilling scandal and slashed a fee bid in another case over alleged false and misleading statements ordered a pair of firms to tell him why they should get one-third of a $4.3 million settlement with State Street Corp.

  • July 30, 2024

    Fla. Insurance Co. Accused Of Causing Black Mold Death

    A Florida insurance company was accused of wrongfully causing the death of a woman who died from black mold contamination in a state complaint brought by her sole descendant, who alleges the insurer didn't send a promised team to remediate the woman's home after it was damaged by Hurricane Ian.

  • July 30, 2024

    Atty Teams Wrestle In Chancery Over WWE Merger Suit Pick

    Two legal tag teams have pitched competing bids to lead a Delaware Court of Chancery suit aimed at World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and its $21.4 million merger with Ultimate Fighting Championship, with one stressing the depth of its complaint and the other, in part, stressing depth of experience in pressing sexual misconduct claims.

  • July 30, 2024

    Florida Residents Urge 11th Circ. Keep Block On Gender Law

    Transgender adults and children in Florida on Monday urged the Eleventh Circuit to reject the state's attempt to enforce a law restricting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults while the case is on appeal.

  • July 30, 2024

    Utility Co. Denied Injunction In Row Over Apprentice Workers

    A Michigan federal judge has denied a utility construction and maintenance company's bid for an injunction against a joint labor-management committee supervising apprentice line workers in the company's antitrust suit, finding that the company is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its claim.

  • July 30, 2024

    PBMs Urge Justices To Reject Review Of Okla. Law Dispute

    An industry trade group representing pharmacy benefits managers urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb its Tenth Circuit victory, which held that an Oklahoma statute regulating PBMs ran afoul of preemption provisions in both the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and Medicare Part D.

  • July 30, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Backs Ga. ALJ's Firing For 'Unbecoming' Conduct

    The Federal Circuit has upheld the removal of a Georgia administrative law judge over a pattern of "deficiencies" uncovered in his rulings, insubordination, and a workplace tirade in which he reportedly told a supervisor she was "worse than a Nazi," the court said Tuesday.

  • July 30, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Union Carpenters' Retirement Fight

    The Ninth Circuit revived a suit by carpenters alleging union pension trustees broke federal benefits law by investing retirement plan assets in dicey index funds that lost over $250 million in the 2020 market downturn, finding Tuesday that the workers' mismanagement claims should proceed to discovery.

  • July 30, 2024

    Financial Co. To Pay $20M To Resolve DOL Embezzlement Suit

    A financial planner agreed to pay $20 million to 17 retirement plans it manages to resolve a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Labor accusing it of improperly shuffling money between accounts and embezzling at least $5 million in plan assets, a filing in Pennsylvania federal court said.

  • July 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Axes Limit On DOL Denying Calif. Agencies Grants

    The U.S. Department of Labor can shut California transit agencies out of a federal grant because of a conflict between a state pension law and a federal transit law, with the Ninth Circuit lifting a ban Monday on the agency denying grant applications because of that conflict.

  • July 29, 2024

    4 Takeaways After Courts Block ERISA Advice Regs

    Two Texas federal judges' takedowns of the U.S. Department of Labor's recently expanded definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act has limited the agency's authority to oversee certain kinds of retirement investment advice, attorneys say, including some rollover situations. Here, Law360 looks at four things benefits lawyers have taken away from the decisions.

  • July 29, 2024

    Magistrate Eyes Cuts To Norfolk Southern Investors' Suit

    A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing a portion of a securities suit filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, reasoning that the retirement funds serving as lead plaintiffs fell short of pleading standards.

  • July 29, 2024

    Amazon Defeats Class Status Push In Military Leave Suit

    A Washington federal judge refused Monday to greenlight a class action accusing Amazon of demoting or firing workers who took time off for military service, saying they hadn't shown the thousands of would-be class members had enough in common.

  • July 29, 2024

    Insurer Must Pay Defamation Defense Costs, Co. Says

    An online health services company told a California federal court that a Hanover Insurance unit must help cover the "tens of millions of dollars" the company incurred while litigating an underlying defamation counterclaim and pursuing its own affirmative claims, calling the defense counsel the insurer installed "woefully inadequate."

  • July 29, 2024

    Boehringer Appeals HHS Win In Medicare Drug Price Suit

    Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. notified a Connecticut federal court Friday that it will appeal its loss in a lawsuit challenging a new Medicare drug price negotiation program on the grounds that it unlawfully compels the pharmaceutical giant to declare prices "fair," takes its property and imposes an excessive fine.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

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    As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

  • 3 Compliance Reminders For Calif. Employers In 2024

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    As we enter into the new year, several recent updates to California employment law — including minimum wage and sick leave requirements — necessitate immediate compliance actions for employers, says Daniel Pyne at Hopkins & Carley.

  • What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

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    As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • 4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

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    Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

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    Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

  • In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

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    Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

  • Lessons Learned From 2023's Top ADA Decisions

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    This year saw the courts delving into the complexities of employee accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in the post-pandemic workplace, going beyond bright-line rules with fact-intensive inquiries that are likely to create uncertainty for employers, says Linda Dwoskin at Dechert.

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

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    Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • A Review Of 2023's Most Notable Securities Litigation

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    There is much to be learned from the most prominent private securities cases of 2023, specifically the Tesla trial, the U.S. Supreme Court's Slack decision and the resolution of Goldman Sachs litigation, but one lesson running through all of them is that there can be rewards at the end of the line for defendants willing to go the distance, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • FDA's Recent Litigation Records Are Strong, But Imperfect

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notched its share of litigation wins in recent years thanks to a number of key advantages, but the FDA has been less successful in certain highly visible arenas, Jonathan Berman and Colleen Heisey at Jones Day.

  • ESG Investing Caught In Culture War Crosshairs In 2023

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    As 2023 draws to a close, ESG investing remains a raging battleground in the U.S. culture wars, as illustrated by the array of legislative efforts across the country aimed variously at restricting or promoting the use of ESG investing — but it remains to be seen what practical impact, if any, these laws will have, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.

  • Benefits Limitations Period Ruling Carries ERISA Implications

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    The First Circuit's recent decision in Smith v. Prudential — over enforcing a benefits claim limitations period that expires before the claim accrued — has ramifications for Employee Income Security Act cases, where limitations issues can arise in the termination of ongoing benefit payments rather than an initial application for benefits, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

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