The Eighth Circuit upheld General Electric’s exemption from roughly $227 million in pension withdrawal liability, ruling that GE could use a cumulative method to count construction workers under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act.
A federal judge dismissed an ERISA interference claim because the plaintiff failed to allege he was treated differently from other plan participants.
A federal court rejected a former executive's claim that bank-owned life insurance premiums should be included in her retirement benefits calculation, denying her request to reconsider a summary judgment that excluded nearly $0.29 million in premiums.
A federal judge in Seattle denied a motion to dismiss a claim holding a corporate officer personally liable for unpaid benefit contributions, ruling that federal common law permits assent to trust agreements to be established through conduct, not just a...
A federal judge transferred an ERISA class action against Labcorp to North Carolina, ruling that the convenience of witnesses and the location of key records outweigh the plaintiffs' choice of forum in Illinois.
A federal judge in New Jersey denied a motion for reconsideration in an ERISA class action against United Healthcare, ruling that a recent policy change did not constitute new evidence and that individual plan variations still preclude commonality.
The Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a class action against Wells Fargo for lack of Article III standing, but ordered the district court to vacate its dismissal with prejudice and enter it without prejudice instead.
A federal judge in Sacramento approved a $4.3 million settlement for the Sutter Health 403(b) Savings Plan, dismissing the litigation with prejudice and clearing the way for participant distributions.
A federal judge ruled that Lowe's ERISA disability plan can invoke North Carolina law to sidestep a California statute that would have voided the insurer's discretionary authority.
A federal judge in Florida denied a motion to dismiss in a class action alleging Southeastern Grocers LLC breached its fiduciary duties by allowing excessive recordkeeping fees on a 401(k) plan with more than $1 billion in assets.
The full Fifth Circuit will rehear a group health plan dispute between Aramark Services and Aetna Life Insurance Company, vacating a December panel decision that had resolved the clash.
A Wisconsin federal judge held Hartford's termination of a physician's long-term disability benefits arbitrary and capricious after the insurer ignored her Social Security award and never compared her cognitive limitations to the demands of practicing...
U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss granted in part and denied in part attorney’s fee motions in a long-running ERISA dispute over the wrongful denial of deferred compensation benefits and fiduciary breaches at CTC Corporation.
A federal judge in the Western District of Michigan has allowed a putative class action against Meijer, Inc. to proceed on claims that the grocery chain’s tobacco surcharge program violated ERISA notice requirements, while rejecting arguments that the...
The Second Circuit held that regular-interest certificates in real estate mortgage investment conduits are equity interests that trigger ERISA fiduciary duties, while indenture notes are not.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Merrill Lynch, holding that its WealthChoice Award program is a bonus plan exempt from ERISA coverage rather than an employee pension benefit plan.
The District of Minnesota granted final approval of a $84 million settlement in a class action alleging that Wells Fargo and GreatBanc Trust Company breached fiduciary duties by using leveraged ESOP assets to offset employer contribution obligations.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied Franklin Resources' motion to dismiss breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, allowing plaintiffs to proceed with allegations that the company loaded the Franklin Templeton 401(k) Retirement...
A published Fourth Circuit decision holds that Merrill Lynch's WealthChoice Award program — a deferred cash bonus paid to select high-performing financial advisors after eight years of continued employment — is a bonus plan exempt from ERISA, not a covered...
A federal judge has preliminarily approved a $44.4 million settlement between AME Church clergy plaintiffs and Symetra Life Insurance Company, resolving claims that Symetra helped facilitate a two-decade scheme that drained roughly $90 million from the...