May 20, 2026
The Ninth Circuit appeared reluctant Wednesday to revive a suit alleging that HP Inc. violated federal benefits law by using forfeited 401(k) funds to defray employer-side contribution obligations, with judges questioning whether plan participants backed up allegations that the tech company hadn't been sufficiently loyal or prudent.
May 15, 2026
The Eighth Circuit's recent decision affirming the dismissal of a proposed class action claiming Wells Fargo misspent 401(k) forfeitures won't dissuade workers from filing similar suits, attorneys say, but those plan participants will likely include more details on how they were allegedly hurt.
May 01, 2026
HP, Siemens and Honeywell will defend victories in 401(k) forfeiture suits at the Ninth and Third circuits, while union pensioners will battle over life insurance and early retirement benefits at the Tenth and Seventh circuits. Here, Law360 looks at five coming oral argument sessions that benefits attorneys may want to keep an eye on.
July 10, 2025
The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Ninth Circuit to reject HP Inc. workers' bid to revive a proposed class action alleging forfeited employee 401(k) plan contributions were mismanaged, arguing a lower court properly tossed the case for failure to state a claim for violating federal benefits law.
June 20, 2025
The U.S. Department of Labor's challenge to a pair of injunctions blocking Biden-era regulations that broaden who qualifies as an investment advice fiduciary under federal benefits law tops the list of cases benefits attorneys will be watching in the latter half of the year.
May 01, 2025
An Arizona federal judge nixed a proposed class action from workers who claimed a trucking company illegally used abandoned cash in its retirement fund to pay down its own contributions rather than covering plan fees, saying the workers' "novel theory" wasn't in line with federal benefits law.
March 05, 2025
It remains unclear whether a California federal judge keeping alive a proposed class action that challenges the use of forfeited funds in a Clorox employee 401(k) plan means similar cases will gain traction, but experts say plans are already getting tweaked to stave off forfeiture claims.