Benefits

  • January 16, 2025

    Hearthside Proposes $30M In Ch. 11 Key Employee Bonuses

    The bankrupt parent of snack maker Hearthside Food Solutions proposed a pair of retention and incentive payment plans that would provide up to $30 million in bonuses to key employees in the company's Texas Chapter 11 case.

  • January 16, 2025

    Ogletree Hires Jackson Lewis Atty, Former NBA Counsel

    Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC has hired a former Jackson Lewis PC attorney, who also has experience working in-house for the National Basketball Association as an associate counsel, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • January 16, 2025

    DOL Proposes Rule On Valuing Stock For Purchase By ESOPs

    The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule Thursday to help plan managers determine the value of company stock for purchase by an employee stock ownership plan while also withdrawing a previous rule that the DOL proposed in 1988 but never finalized.

  • January 16, 2025

    Pa. Energy Co. Strikes Deal To End 401(k) Class Action

    A Pennsylvania-based electricity and natural gas company agreed to settle a class action alleging it loaded its employee retirement plan with costly underperforming investment options, staving off a trial slated to begin this month.

  • January 15, 2025

    GE Investors' $362.5M Settlement Gets Initial Greenlight

    Investors in manufacturing giant General Electric Co. have gotten an initial nod for their proposed $362.5 million eve-of-trial deal to end long-running claims that the company fraudulently concealed cash flow problems, allegedly resulting in plummeting shares after its fiscal woes were disclosed.

  • January 15, 2025

    FTC Won't Disqualify Commissioners From PBM Insulin Case

    The Federal Trade Commission denied bids from Caremark Rx, Express Scripts and OptumRx that sought to bar the commission's Democratic members from participating in a case accusing the pharmacy benefit managers of inflating insulin prices.

  • January 15, 2025

    Ruling On Fla. Gender Law Animus Is Flawed, 11th Circ. Told

    Florida urged an Eleventh Circuit panel on Wednesday to overturn an order declaring the state's ban on certain types of medical treatment for gender dysphoria unconstitutional, arguing the lower court wrongly used the condition as a proxy for transgender individuals in ruling that the prohibition was proof of discriminatory animus.

  • January 15, 2025

    Davis Wright Atty Says Firm Is Trying To Push Him Out

    An attorney employed by Davis Wright has launched a pro se employment discrimination lawsuit in Washington state court, accusing the firm of trying to "strong-arm" him into leaving after he reported what he described as misconduct by a partner and banishing him from its Seattle office when he threatened legal action.

  • January 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Eyes Undoing Trans Patients' Win In ACA Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit seemed inclined Wednesday to strike down a trial court win for patients who challenged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois' administration of their employer-provided health plans containing gender-affirming care exclusions, with two judges questioning why those employers weren't part of the case. 

  • January 15, 2025

    Symetra Life Policyholders Seek $32.5M Settlement Approval

    A proposed class of Symetra policyholders asked a Washington federal court to preliminarily approve a $32.5 million deal to resolve a suit alleging that the insurer overcharged them for life insurance, saying the 11-state settlement would cover the owners of 43,000 policies.

  • January 15, 2025

    Duke Settles Retiree's Mortality Data Suit At 4th Circ.

    Duke University told the Fourth Circuit it has agreed to settle a retiree's proposed class action claiming the school used outdated mortality data to calculate retirement benefits and underpaid former employees by millions of dollars, ending the university's attempt to send the case to arbitration.

  • January 15, 2025

    Maine Chamber, Shipyard Challenge State Paid Leave Rule

    The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and U.S. shipyard Bath Iron Works told a state court that certain provisions of the rule for the state medical leave program are illegal, arguing that employers will shell out conspicuous amounts into a fund they won't use.

  • January 15, 2025

    Banks Must Face Pension Funds' Mexican Bond-Rigging Suit

    A Manhattan federal judge refused Wednesday to throw out a case brought by U.S. pension funds that accused a group of banks of conspiring to rig Mexican government bond prices, saying chatroom transcripts between traders showed evidence of collusion.

  • January 15, 2025

    IRS Issues Corp. Bond Monthly Yield Curve For Jan.

    The Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday published the corporate bond monthly yield curve for January for use in calculations for defined benefit plans, as well as corresponding segment rates and other related provisions.

  • January 14, 2025

    Conn. City Hits PBMs And Pharma Cos. With Insulin Pricing Suit

    A city partway between New Haven and Hartford took pharmacy benefit managers and drug makers including CVS Health Corp., Eli Lilly and Co. and Novo Nordisk Inc. to Connecticut federal court on Monday, alleging that they conspired to keep diabetes medications and insulin at needlessly high prices.

  • January 14, 2025

    TikTok Moderation Co.'s $5.5M Investor Deal Gets Initial OK

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday gave the first green light to a $5.5 million deal between TikTok content moderation company Teleperformance and a pension fund, resolving claims that investors were harmed after investigative reports were published claiming that Teleperformance was working its staff into the ground and forcing them to watch harmful content with no support.

  • January 14, 2025

    8th Circ. Says Arb. Board Must Decide Worker Vacation Issue

    A Missouri federal judge should have let an arbitration board decide whether a wrongfully fired railroad conductor qualified for paid vacation time after his reinstatement, the Eighth Circuit said Tuesday, reversing the judge's decision that the worker qualified and remanding the issue to the arbitration board.

  • January 14, 2025

    DXC Says Investor Suit Shows Integration Problems, Not Fraud

    DXC Technology has asked a Virginia federal court to toss a shareholder suit alleging the information technology giant overhyped efforts to reduce restructuring and integration costs after acquiring several companies, arguing hindsight critiques from the current CEO do not establish securities fraud.

  • January 14, 2025

    Airline Workers' Attys Get $4.2M From ESOP Deal

    A Delaware federal judge Tuesday awarded over $4.2 million in fees to class counsel in a suit over alleged mismanagement of the employee stock ownership plan at bankrupt cargo hauler Western Global Airlines that was settled in September for $14.5 million.

  • January 14, 2025

    FTC Issues Second Report On PBMs, Expanding Study Scope

    The Federal Trade Commission released a second "interim" report on pharmacy benefit managers and their effects on specialty drug prices Tuesday, claiming that the companies have driven up prices well over acquisition costs and continue to squeeze independent pharmacies out of the market through low reimbursement rates.

  • January 14, 2025

    NFL Plan On Hook For Atty Fees Despite 5th Circ. Win

    The NFL retirement plan must cover up to $1.86 million in attorney fees and expenses for a former running back who said the plan mishandled his disability benefits application, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying the Fifth Circuit's reversal of his bench trial win didn't discredit his exposure of the plan's systemic issues.

  • January 14, 2025

    Mass. AG Says Insulin Makers, Middlemen Colluded On Costs

    Insulin makers Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk conspired with pharmacy benefit managers OptumRX, Express Scripts and CVS Caremark to jack up prices by as much as 1,000%, the Massachusetts attorney general alleged in a suit.

  • January 14, 2025

    Feds Ask 2 Years For Ex-Pol On Tax, Pandemic Aid Charges

    A former Massachusetts state senator should spend two years in prison after being convicted of illegally obtaining unemployment assistance and filing a false tax return, the federal government argued, citing the "greed" at the heart of the politician's conduct.

  • January 14, 2025

    DOL Finalizes ERISA Voluntary Correction Program Changes

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm has finalized changes to a program allowing retirement plan managers to voluntarily self-correct when they fail to forward employee contributions on time or make other transaction errors, according to a notice the agency posted online Tuesday.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Lean Toward Narrow Ruling In Retiree's ADA Fight

    Several U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed wary Monday of issuing a sweeping decree in a disabled retiree's Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit, hinting at plans to issue a narrower decision tailored to the specifics of the case.

Expert Analysis

  • After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    FIFA Maternity Policy Shows Need For Federal Paid Leave

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    While FIFA and other employers taking steps to provide paid parental leave should be applauded, the U.S. deserves a red card for being the only rich nation in the world that offers no such leave, says Dacey Romberg at Sanford Heisler.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Air Ambulance Ruling Severely Undermines No Surprises Act

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision in Guardian Flight v. Health Care Service — that the No Surprises Act lacks a judicial remedy when a health insurer refuses to pay the amount established through an independent review — likely throws a huge monkey wrench into the elaborate protections the NSA was enacted to provide, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • What DOL Fiduciary Rule Means For Private Fund Managers

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the U.S. Department of Labor's recently released final fiduciary rule, which revises the agency's 1975 regulation, could potentially cause private fund managers' current marketing practices and communications to be considered fiduciary advice, and therefore subject them to strict prohibitions.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.

  • Emerging Trends In ESG-Focused Securities Litigation

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    Based on a combination of shareholder pressure, increasing regulatory scrutiny and proposed rulemaking, there has been a proliferation of litigation over public company disclosures and actions regarding environmental, social, and governance factors — and the overall volume of such class actions will likely increase in the coming years, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

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