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Benefits
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August 07, 2024
Abbott Brass Trim But Can't Nix Investors' Formula Recall Suit
A Chicago federal judge on Wednesday substantially trimmed a derivative suit accusing Abbott Laboratories leaders of concealing known safety issues related to recalled infant formula but rejected the defendants' argument that tossing the suit in its entirety was in shareholders' "best interest."
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August 07, 2024
Santos, Feds Agree Jurors' Identities Should Be Secret
Expelled congressman George Santos wants jurors' identities protected for his trial next month on theft and identity theft charges, telling a New York federal judge on Tuesday that prosecutors feel the same given the "astounding" media attention on the case.
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August 07, 2024
Republican Lawmakers Target Union Pension Overpayments
Two struggling union pension plans have returned excess bailout funds they received because deceased pensioners weren't removed from their directories, but the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. hasn't said whether 60 other plans with deceased pensioners in their directories returned any extra funds, two Republican congresspeople said.
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August 07, 2024
Japanese Space Co. Slips Ex-Exec's $8M Stock Suit
A Colorado federal judge threw out a lawsuit Wednesday that a former executive lodged against a Japanese space and robotics company accusing it of withholding from him stock options worth about $8 million, saying the dispute belongs in Japan.
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August 07, 2024
Insurer Can't Dodge $13.4M Conn. Death Verdict, Estate Says
A mother who won a $13.4 million judgment after her son died in a Connecticut group home says its insurer, Hanover Insurance Co., is trying to use "misplaced" arguments to escape her bid to collect a portion of the judgment, urging a judge not to dismiss her compensation request.
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August 07, 2024
Thompson Coburn Adds Willkie Benefits Atty
Thompson Coburn LLP has brought on an employee benefits litigator from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as a partner in Chicago, picking up a lawyer with over two decades of experience advising and representing employers, plan administrators and fiduciaries.
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August 07, 2024
Tyson Foods Escapes 401(k) Recordkeeping Fee Suit
An Arkansas federal judge agreed to toss a proposed class action federal benefits lawsuit from participants in a 401(k) plan for employees of Tyson Foods Inc., concluding allegations of high recordkeeping fees weren't backed up with sufficient comparisons to better-managed plans as required in the Eighth Circuit.
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August 06, 2024
Florida Asks 11th Circ. To Let Gender Law Take Effect Now
Florida officials have implored the Eleventh Circuit to allow enforcement of the state's recently enacted law restricting gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults, arguing that a federal judge's order to enjoin enforcement of the law was erroneous.
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August 06, 2024
KKR & Co., 2 Founders Sued In Del Over $500M Exit Deal
A union pension fund has sued KKR & Co. Inc. founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts and 14 others in connection with no-tax share conversion payment rights lined up in connection with the company's October 2021 switch from an umbrella partnership "C" company into a regular corporation.
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August 06, 2024
Investment Adviser Must Face Union Fund's $30M ERISA Suit
A union pension fund has carried its $30 million Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit against an investment advisory firm past the motion-to-dismiss phase on its second try, with a California federal judge holding that the fund qualified for an extension to its deadline to sue over pre-2016 conduct.
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August 06, 2024
Amazon Seeks Early Exit From Military Service Bias Suit
Amazon asked a Washington federal judge to end a proposed class action accusing it of demoting or terminating workers who take time off for military service, arguing that one of the plaintiffs was inadvertently fired while the other wasn't qualified for a promotion because he was "unprofessional."
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August 06, 2024
Ex-Honeycomb Manager Wants Benefits Case Reopened
Attorneys for a former Savannah Bee Co. honeycomb manager urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday to reverse the Georgia Department of Labor's decision to deny her unemployment benefits on the grounds that her appeal was not timely, arguing circumstances caused her to file late with "good cause."
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August 06, 2024
10th Circ. Says Union Contract Legally Imposed On Okla. Co.
An Oklahoma electric company must accept the successor contract imposed on it by an arbitration board, the Tenth Circuit said Tuesday, upholding an Oklahoma federal court's decision that the pact between Brent Electric Co. and an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local was imposed lawfully.
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August 06, 2024
Cargo Airline, Workers Forge Settlement In ESOP Battle
A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday agreed to stay a suit against Western Global Airlines and an investment manager after workers who alleged that their employee stock ownership plan was mishandled told the court they had reached a settlement.
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August 05, 2024
DXC Investor's Suit Says Execs Overhyped Integration Efforts
A DXC Technology investor filed a proposed class action in Virginia federal court Friday alleging the information technology giant over-touted its "transformation journey" and efforts to reduce restructuring and integration costs after acquiring several companies that caused investors to buy DXC common stock at artificially inflated prices.
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August 05, 2024
BCBS Asks 9th Circ. To Undo Trans Patients' Win In Bias Suit
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse summary judgment in favor of trans patients who argued its exclusions for gender-affirming treatments violated the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination mandate, arguing Friday it is a third-party administrator that didn't design the exclusion nor exercised any control over it.
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August 05, 2024
Insurer Must Face Pa. Trans Firefighter's Surgery Claim
A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to toss a suit from a transgender Philadelphia firefighter suing Independence Blue Cross for discrimination over the insurer's denial of coverage for facial feminization surgery, finding that claims under federal healthcare law could proceed, but not the Title VII claims.
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August 05, 2024
Cornell Workers Urge High Court To Hear ERISA Suit
Cornell University employees doubled down Monday on their request that the U.S. Supreme Court hear their class action accusing the university of mismanaging its employees' retirement savings, saying high court review is warranted to clear up a circuit court split.
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August 05, 2024
7th Circ. Backs Insurer's Win In Family's Autism Claims Fight
The Seventh Circuit on Monday affirmed a win for a Wisconsin health insurer in a family's dispute over coverage for autism therapies, finding that the insurer's denials of speech therapy to treat autism for a minor child were valid under a policy exclusion for treatments that weren't evidence-based.
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August 05, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Sunken treasure, rock band discord, a wrestling competition, and more news about Elon Musk — all in all, a colorful week in Delaware's Court of Chancery. The First State's famous court of equity also pushed forward on disputes involving a famous social media app, Delaware's largest hospital system, an artificial intelligence company and a budding commodity futures exchange.
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August 05, 2024
11th Circ. Upholds Home Depot's Win In Workers' 401(k) Suit
The Eleventh Circuit has upheld dismissal of a class action against Home Depot from workers alleging their employee 401(k) plan was saddled with excessive fees and offered shoddy investment choices, finding a lower court was right to end the case in the home improvement retailer's favor.
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August 02, 2024
5th Circ. Upholds Challenge To Surprise Medical Billing Rule
The Fifth Circuit on Friday affirmed wins for plaintiffs challenging provisions of a federal surprise medical billing rule that relate to payment fights between out-of-network providers and health insurers, agreeing with a Texas federal judge that the rule places "a thumb on the scale" in insurers' favor.
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August 02, 2024
Fla.'s Trans Healthcare Ban Violates Title VII, Judge Says
A Florida federal judge has ruled the state's Department of Management Services illegally excluded gender-affirming treatment for transgender employees under state-sponsored health benefits plans, finding the state's exclusion only applies to trans individuals and is facially discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
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August 02, 2024
Del. Chancellor Presses Tesla On Musk Pay Salvage Scheme
Delaware's chancellor pointed Friday to "zero cases under Delaware law" where stockholders were allowed to ratify a corporate act that had been found to be a breach of fiduciary duty, asking an attorney for Tesla Inc. why she should allow the company to use a post-verdict vote to resurrect Elon Musk's $56 billion stock-based compensation plan.
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August 02, 2024
Chancery Won't Force Open Paramount's Books On Skydance
A pension fund shareholder that sued Paramount Global for more information on its pending merger with Skydance Media may not have access to the entertainment company's corporate documents because the pension fund hasn't shown a "credible basis" to suspect wrongdoing, Delaware's Court of Chancery ruled Friday.
Expert Analysis
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Kansas Workers' Comp. Updates Can Benefit Labor, Business
While the most significant shake-up from the April amendment to the Kansas Workers Compensation Act will likely be the increase in potential lifetime payouts for workers totally disabled on the job, other changes that streamline the hearing process will benefit both employees and companies, says Weston Mills at Gilson Daub.
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Del. Ruling Highlights M&A Deal Adviser Conflict Disclosures
The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed the Court of Chancery's dismissal of challenges to Nordic Capital's acquisition of Inovalon, demonstrating the importance of full disclosure of financial adviser conflicts when a going-private merger seeks business judgment rule review, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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How FTC's Noncompete Rule May Affect Exec Comp Packages
In the event the Federal Trade Commission's final noncompete rule goes into effect as currently contemplated, companies will need to take stock of how they structure post-employment executive compensation arrangements, such as severance agreements and clawbacks, says Meredith O'Leary at King & Spalding.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.
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Opinion
SEC Should Be Allowed To Equip Investors With Climate Info
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule to require more climate-related disclosures will provide investors with much-needed clarity, despite opponents' attempts to challenge the rule with misused legal arguments, say Sarah Goetz at Democracy Forward and Cynthia Hanawalt at Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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9th Circ. Ruling Puts Teeth Into Mental Health Parity Claims
In its recent finding that UnitedHealth applied an excessively strict review process for substance use disorder treatment claims, the Ninth Circuit provided guidance on how to plead a Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act violation and took a step toward achieving mental health parity in healthcare, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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Del. Match.com Ruling Maintains Precedent In Time Of Change
Despite speculation that the Delaware Supreme Court could drive away corporations if it lowered the bar for business judgment review in its Match.com stockholder ruling, the court broke its recent run of controversial precedent-busting decisions by upholding, and arguably strengthening, minority stockholder protections against controller coercion, say Renee Zaytsev and Marc Ayala at Boies Schiller.
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Inside OMB's Update On Race And Ethnicity Data Collection
The Office of Management and Budget's new guidelines for agency collection of data on race and ethnicity reflect societal changes and the concerns of certain demographics, but implementation may be significantly burdensome for agencies and employers, say Joanna Colosimo and Bill Osterndorf at DCI Consulting.