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Benefits
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February 12, 2025
Trump Picks Encore Fiduciary Founder As DOL Benefits Chief
The Trump administration on Wednesday nominated Encore Fiduciary's principal and professional fiduciary liability expert Daniel Aronowitz to steer the US Department of Labor's employee benefits division, which produces and enforces federal regulations that apply to employer-provided retirement and healthcare plans.
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February 12, 2025
VA Blocked From Quickly Appealing Systemic Racism Suit
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cannot immediately appeal a Connecticut federal judge's refusal to slap down a lawsuit alleging systemic discrimination at VA hospitals because the case does not present novel issues requiring midstream clarification, the same judge who advanced the case last March has ruled.
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February 12, 2025
Boeing Brass Face Chancery Suit Over Safety Breach Scandal
Public employee pension funds in Ohio and Oklahoma have launched a derivative suit in Delaware's Chancery Court against Boeing board members and executives, seeking damages on the aircraft company's behalf tied to production issues and multiple safety breaches involving several Boeing commercial passenger jets.
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February 12, 2025
2nd Circ. Backs Deferred Compensation Award Calculation
The Second Circuit refused Wednesday to upend how a trial court calculated that a defunct photo processing company owes ex-employees over $800,000 following mismanagement of a deferred compensation plan, but said the lower court needs to reassess who's on the hook for payment.
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February 12, 2025
Poultry Producers Can't Dodge Bid-Rigging Claims In MDL
An Illinois federal judge trimmed on Tuesday some conspiracy claims from a massive antitrust case against chicken producers, including Pilgrim's Pride and over a dozen others, but kept intact other bid-rigging allegations, finding that a class of restaurants and other direct buyers plausibly alleged the companies increased prices in parallel.
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February 12, 2025
IRS Issues Corp. Bond Monthly Yield Curve For Feb.
The Internal Revenue Service published on Wednesday the corporate bond monthly yield curve for February for use in calculations for defined benefit plans, as well as corresponding segment rates and other related provisions.
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February 12, 2025
Tobacco Fee Couldn't Have Injured Worker, Campbell's Says
The Campbell's Co. urged a New Jersey federal court to toss a suit from a former worker alleging the company's tobacco-free wellness program is violating federal benefits law by making workers who use tobacco pay more for health insurance, arguing the ex-employee can't bring his claims because he never enrolled in the program.
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February 12, 2025
States Can't Halt Funding Ban On Trans Care, DOJ Tells Court
Washington, Minnesota and Oregon can't block a White House executive order that cuts off federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors, President Donald Trump's administration told a Washington federal judge, arguing that the states' suit is premature and that the president has acted within his powers.
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February 11, 2025
Trump Tells Agencies To Plan 'Large-Scale' Cuts With Musk
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that directs agencies to prepare for "large-scale" cuts to the federal workforce and gives Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency the authority to approve the future hiring of career officials.
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February 11, 2025
Law Firm Equity Doesn't Offset Workers' Comp, NC Panel Told
A former partner at Cranfill Sumner LLP stuck in a 19-year struggle with his former law firm over workers' compensation told the North Carolina Court of Appeals on Tuesday that his equity stake shouldn't offset the amount of disability benefits he's paid.
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February 11, 2025
Labaton Keller Appointed Lead In Healthcare Co. IPO Suit
A New York federal judge on Tuesday appointed Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP as lead counsel in a securities class action accusing nursing-care provider PACS Group Inc. of misleading investors about false Medicare claims and regulatory investigations tied to its initial public offering.
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February 11, 2025
DOL Asks 5th Circ. To Pause Fiduciary Rule Battle
The U.S. Department of Labor asked the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday to pause its appeal of two federal court rulings blocking regulations that broadened the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's definition of a fiduciary, stating the Trump administration needs time to catch up on the case.
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February 11, 2025
Hospital Worker Didn't Need Note For COVID Benefits
A woman who quit her job at a Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, hospital due to concerns over COVID-19 didn't need to present medical evidence that her health put her at higher risk in order to collect pandemic-related unemployment benefits, a split Pennsylvania appellate court ruled Tuesday.
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February 11, 2025
CVS, Aetna Escape Testing Lab's $20.6M Unpaid Invoices Suit
A Connecticut federal judge threw out a testing laboratory's lawsuit seeking $20.6 million in unpaid invoices from Aetna Inc. and its owner CVS Health Corp., saying the complaint lacked detail and left the companies "guessing" which allegations corresponded to which claims.
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February 10, 2025
Merrill Lynch Objects To New Discovery Bid In Stock Loan Suit
Merrill Lynch told a New York federal court it should deny investors' request for supplemental transaction data in their suit alleging major banks colluded to avoid modernizing the stock loan market, arguing that the discovery period has closed, and there are no legitimate reasons to grant the "burdensome" request.
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February 10, 2025
Baker Hughes Obtains Toss Of Ex-Worker's 401(k) Fee Suit
A Texas federal judge tossed an excessive recordkeeping fees suit Monday from a proposed class of Baker Hughes 401(k) plan participants, finding evidence wasn't presented to show that the plan administrator owed a fiduciary duty in regard to so-called float money.
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February 10, 2025
Merrill Lynch $20M Bias Deal Should Be Approved, Judge Says
A U.S. magistrate judge has recommended granting the first green light to a $20 million settlement that will resolve discrimination and retaliation claims launched against Merrill Lynch by a proposed class of nearly 1,400 Black financial advisers who claimed they received less pay and promotions compared to their white counterparts.
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February 10, 2025
Pension Execs Found Liable In $2B Danish Tax Fraud Case
A New York federal jury found Monday by "clear and convincing evidence" that Denmark's tax agency reasonably relied on the false statements made on pension plan applications that were part of a $2.1 billion tax fraud scheme by pension plan executives.
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February 10, 2025
NY Funds Say Paramount 'Bound' To Mull $13.5B Sale Option
Five big New York public pension funds argued in a newly unsealed Delaware court filing on Monday that a Paramount special committee breached its fiduciary duties by neglecting a $13.5 billion company sale offer and called for a Court of Chancery order compelling evaluation of the deal.
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February 10, 2025
6th Circ. Backs Electric Co. In Fired Ex-Exec's Severance Suit
The Sixth Circuit upheld the dismissal Monday of an ex-executive's suit claiming the American Electric Power Service Corp. owed him severance after he was fired for failing to tamp down on his assistant's excessive spending, stating the company showed he was ineligible for the extra pay.
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February 10, 2025
Home Generator Maker Beats Suit Over COVID Sales Bust
Power generator maker Generac Holdings Inc. and its top brass have beaten for now a proposed shareholder class action over Generac's alleged failure to keep up with a surge in business during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a Wisconsin federal judge saying, "misfortune does not necessarily equate with fraud."
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February 10, 2025
UnitedHealth Unit Inks $20M Deal To End DOL Claims Row
A UnitedHealth subsidiary will pay more than $20 million to settle the U.S. Department of Labor's suit claiming it violated federal benefits law and employer health plans' own policies when it summarily rejected claims for emergency room services and drug tests, according to filings in Wisconsin federal court.
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February 10, 2025
NJ Hospital Hit With Class Claims Over Retirement Plan Fees
A New Jersey health system has been accused of mismanaging its employees' retirement funds, according to a proposed class action filed by one of its employees in Garden State federal court.
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February 10, 2025
Charter Used Forfeited 401(k) Funds For Itself, Suit Says
Charter Communications Inc. cost participants in its $7.9 billion 401(k) plan millions of dollars by using funds forfeited by ex-workers to cover its own contributions to the plan rather than administrative expenses, according to a proposed class action filed in Missouri federal court.
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February 10, 2025
Court Won't Reinstate NLRB Brief In Newspaper Union Suit
A federal judge won't reinstate a brief stricken from the record in a dispute between the National Labor Relations Board and the publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying Friday that the board had misinterpreted her courtroom's rules and procedures.
Expert Analysis
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What To Know About New Employment Laws In Fla.
Florida employers should familiarize themselves with recent state laws, and also federal legislation, on retirement benefits, teen labor and heat exposure, with special attention to prohibitions against minors performing dangerous tasks, as outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act, say Katie Molloy and Cayla Page at Greenberg Traurig.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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How Project 2025 Could Upend Federal ESG Policies
If implemented, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's policy playbook for a Republican presidential administration, would likely seek to deploy antitrust law to target ESG initiatives, limit pension fund managers' focus to pecuniary factors and spell doom for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate rule, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.
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2 Rulings Show How Courts Assess Health Benefit Denials
Two recent decisions from federal appeals courts offer important insights into how courts are assessing denials of health benefit claims brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, including guidance on how plan administrators should evaluate claims and what documents must be disclosed, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Opinion
This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process
In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Mental Health Parity Rules: Tips For Plans And Issuers
Following federal agencies' release of final mental health parity rules, plan sponsors and health insurance issuers should develop protocols for preparing compliant nonquantitative treatment limitation comparative analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Series
Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers
Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.
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Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys
Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.