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Benefits
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August 27, 2024
Vt. High Court Affirms Denial Of Benefits To Marijuana Patient
The Vermont Supreme Court has affirmed an administrative law judge's decision not to issue a declaratory ruling whether off-duty medical cannabis use counts as misconduct for the purposes of terminating and denying benefits to a former transportation company employee.
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August 26, 2024
Banks' $20M Platinum Traders Antitrust Deal Gets Initial OK
A New York federal judge preliminarily approved Saturday a $20 million deal to resolve a nearly decade-old putative class action alleging Goldman Sachs, German industrial company BASF and two other banks fixed platinum and palladium prices.
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August 26, 2024
Funds Say Norfolk Southern Can't Ditch Derailment Fraud Suit
Pension funds have told a Georgia federal judge that they've laid out in exacting detail their allegations that Norfolk Southern eroded safety standards by embarking on risky cost-cutting moves and slashing its workforce, culminating in last year's fiery derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and ultimately backfiring on investors.
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August 26, 2024
Siemens Misused 401(k) Plan Funds, ERISA Class Claim Says
The global technology and manufacturing giant Siemens Corp. wrongfully used forfeited 401(k) retirement plan assets to reduce the company's contributions instead of using the money to pay plan expenses, according to a proposed class action filed Friday in New Jersey federal court.
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August 26, 2024
Former X Worker Seeks Class Certification In Bonus Suit
A former X Corp. employee asked a California federal court to greenlight an approximately 2,200-member class in his lawsuit alleging the company reneged on promised bonuses after Elon Musk took over the social media company formerly known as Twitter.
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August 26, 2024
Insurer Wants Out Of Pa. Wig Widow's $4.5M Benefit Dispute
Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. asked a Pennsylvania state court to let it bow out of a dispute between a Pittsburgh wig and healthcare magnate's widow and his family partnership, arguing Monday that the court, not the insurer, had to choose between competing claims for a $4.5 million policy payout.
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August 26, 2024
Paul Hastings Recruits Executive Comp Atty From Kirkland
Paul Hastings LLP announced Monday it has landed an executive compensation lawyer from Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a partner for its Chicago office.
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August 23, 2024
Prime Healthcare's 401(k) Was In Good Hands, Judge Rules
Prime Healthcare Services Inc. beat a proposed class action in a bench trial over claims it allowed its employee 401(k) plan to be saddled with poor-performing investments and high costs, after a California federal judge ruled that the plan was prudently managed.
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August 23, 2024
NJ Ups Fee Cap In Workers' Comp Cases, Boosts Judges' Pay
New Jersey Senate President and current acting Gov. Nick Scutari, a practicing attorney, signed two bills into law increasing pay for Superior Court presiding judges and county prosecutors, and increasing the cap on how much attorneys can collect in fees in workers' compensation cases.
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August 23, 2024
MLB Says Exec's Retirement Benefit Beef 2 Decades Too Late
Major League Baseball has struck back at one of its former executives who alleges he is owed $5.9 million, saying his suit makes no argument that would support his claim the league erroneously calculated his retirement benefits.
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August 23, 2024
1st Circ. Says Longshoremen Local Still On Hook For $1.7M
The International Longshoreman's Association pension fund is entitled to collect nearly $1.7 million in unpaid contributions and attorney fees from a union local in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following a merger with another local that had been in arrears, the First Circuit has ruled.
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August 23, 2024
Union 401(k) Plan Trustees Strike $5M Deal To End ERISA Suit
Two elevator workers asked a Pennsylvania federal court to sign off on a $5 million settlement that would wrap up a proposed class action alleging their union's retirement plan was loaded with excessive administrative fees and shoddy investment options.
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August 23, 2024
Georgia IP Firm Settles Attorney's Wrongful Firing Suit
A Georgia attorney and the Atlanta-based intellectual property firm where he used to work have reached a settlement ending the attorney's lawsuit alleging the firm violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by cutting his hours and then firing him after he returned from his annual two-week tour of duty with the Air Force Reserve.
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August 22, 2024
PBMs Can't Yet Duck Municipalities' Claims In Opioid MDL
The Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation on Thursday refused, for now, to throw out claims against pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts Inc. and OptumRX Inc., finding that the PBMs' arguments were brought too early and a more robust record is needed.
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August 22, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Military Bias Claims Against Alaska Airlines
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a class action alleging Alaska Airlines illegally denied accrued vacation and sick time to pilots on military assignments, saying the case now has the benefit of a decision from the court in a similar case involving the airline.
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August 22, 2024
Calif. Panel Backs Arbitration Denial In Staffing Co. Wage Suit
A California state appeals court refused to ship to arbitration a worker's lawsuit accusing a staffing agency of unlawfully miscalculating his sick leave wages, saying the arbitration pact he signed promised that all Private Attorneys General Act claims will be litigated in court.
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August 22, 2024
Casino Co., Workers Agree To Sweeping Class In 401(k) Suit
Caesars Holdings and a group of workers told a Nevada federal court Thursday they'd agreed to the certification of a class that could cover tens of thousands of participants in Caesars' $1.6 billion 401(k) plan who allegedly had their retirement savings mismanaged.
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August 22, 2024
Army Adviser Gets 12 Years For Scamming Gold Star Families
A former New Jersey financial counselor with the U.S. Army and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve was sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding Gold Star families and other related crimes, the U.S. attorney's office announced.
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August 21, 2024
Conn. Justices Back Insurer's Out-Of-Network Patient Bills
The Connecticut Supreme Court on Wednesday limited an emergency physician group's attempt to require a medical insurer to shoulder patient costs under the state's surprise medical billing law, holding that insurers can charge patients for shared costs, such as deductibles and copayments, at lower levels without violating consumer protection laws.
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August 21, 2024
Northern Trust's $2.5M Deal Approved In AutoZone 401(k) Suit
A Tennessee federal judge on Wednesday granted preliminary approval to a $2.5 million deal to end class claims from participants in AutoZone's 401(k) employee plan who alleged Northern Trust shirked its duties as their 401(k)'s investment adviser.
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August 21, 2024
Union Health Plan Trustees Can't Avoid Fee Claim, Judge Says
Trustees of a UNITE HERE health plan can't topple a group of Southern California workers' claims that they are facing higher administrative expenses compared to another group of workers in Las Vegas, an Illinois federal court ruled Wednesday.
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August 21, 2024
VA Tells High Court Veterans' PTSD Claims Correctly Rejected
The federal government urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to overturn decisions denying two veterans' claims for post-traumatic stress disorder benefits, saying lower courts properly refused to reconsider evidence whether the vets deserved the benefit of the doubt.
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August 21, 2024
9th Circ. Doubts Idaho Trans Health Ban Doesn't Discriminate
The Ninth Circuit appeared reluctant Wednesday to give the state of Idaho a green light for a prohibition on gender dysphoria treatment for minors, with judges vocally skeptical of the state's argument that the policy didn't discriminate based on sex.
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August 21, 2024
Government Contractor Escapes Workers' Exit Pay Suit
A North Carolina federal judge on Wednesday tossed a lawsuit former workers lodged against a government contractor accusing it of illegally amending a policy to avoid providing employees with payouts when they left the company, saying the policy at issue is not governed by federal benefits law.
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August 21, 2024
3rd Circ. Rejects Ex-Engineering Co. GC's Benefits Suit
The Third Circuit refused Wednesday to revive a former general counsel for an engineering company's suit claiming he was stiffed on over $100,000 in retirement benefits, rejecting his argument that a $1 million payout he got from the company should have been factored into his benefits package.
Expert Analysis
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Why Calif. Courts Are Split On ERISA Forfeited Contributions
A split between two California federal courts, in deciding whether an employer’s use of forfeited retirement plan contributions to offset future costs violates the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, suggests employers should soon expect more ERISA cases to advance this novel legal theory when making anti-inurement and breach of fiduciary duty claims, says Blake Crohan at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer
When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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American Airlines ESG Ruling Could Alter ERISA Landscape
The Spence v. American Airlines ESG trial, speeding toward a conclusion in a Texas federal court, could foretell a dramatic expansion in ERISA liability, with plan sponsors vulnerable to claims that they didn't foresee short-term dips in stock prices, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.
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How To Comply With Chicago's New Paid Leave Ordinance
Chicago's new Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance went into effect earlier this month, so employers subject to the new rules should update leave policies, train supervisors and deliver notice as they seek compliance, say Alison Crane and Sarah Gasperini at Jackson Lewis.
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Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits
Two recent decisions from California federal courts regarding novel Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims around 401(k) forfeitures provide early tea leaves for companies that may face similar litigation, offering reasons for both optimism and concern over the future direction of the law, say Ashley Johnson and Jennafer Tryck at Gibson Dunn.
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Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases
A California federal court recently dismissed Ramos v. Comerica, finding that the allegations failed to establish loss causation, but the reasoning is in tension with the pleading-stage approaches generally followed by both courts and economists in securities fraud litigation, say Jesse Jensen and Aasiya Glover at Bernstein Litowitz.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Accidental Death Ruling Shows ERISA Review Standard's Pull
The Eleventh Circuit’s recent accidental death insurance ruling in Goldfarb v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance illustrates how an arbitrary and capricious standard of review in Employee Retirement Income Security Act denial-of-benefits cases creates a steep uphill battle for benefit claimants, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.