On May 17, 2024, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) published interim final rules (collectively, the “IFR”) to amend DOL’s 2006 regulations establishing the abandoned plan program, as well as the accompanying prohibited...more
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) provides generous tax credits for certain clean energy investments (e.g., 50% of the applicable basis in wind and solar farm projects). However, Treasury’s proposed regulations...more
At the end of 2022, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (together, the “IRS”) issued two sets of guidance – a final rule and a proposed rule – addressing the application of certain provisions of...more
On March 9, 2022, President Biden issued the highly-anticipated Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets (“Executive Order”). The Executive Order is in response to the significant growth and...more
On February 8, 2021, in the latest turn in the saga of a closely-watched ERISA cybersecurity lawsuit, the Northern District of Illinois again dismissed fiduciary breach claims against Abbott Laboratories (“Abbott Labs”)...more
On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued its highly anticipated final prohibited transaction class exemption for fiduciary investment advice (the “Final Exemption”). The Final Exemption, which...more
On October 30, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its much-anticipated final rule on Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule amends the DOL’s long-standing “investment...more
On October 2, 2020, the Northern District of Illinois ruled on motions to dismiss in a closely-watched cybertheft lawsuit arising out of the theft of $245,000 from a participant’s account in the Abbott Laboratories Stock...more
10/16/2020
/ Abbott Laboratories ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybertheft ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Duty to Monitor ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Popular ,
Retirement Plan
On August 18, 2020, the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) issued an interim final rule (the “IFR”) implementing Section 203 of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”), which...more
On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the DOL published an interim final regulation... detailing how plan fiduciaries can satisfy the SECURE Act’s requirement that individual account plans add a “lifetime income disclosure” to at...more
8/18/2020
/ 401k ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Lifetime Income Disclosures ,
New Legislation ,
Pensions ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Funds ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
SECURE Act ,
Webinars
The House of Representatives recently passed a fourth round of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill – called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (the “HEROES Act” or the...more
6/1/2020
/ CARES Act ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pensions ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan
Brief Takeaway -
As a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), plan sponsors and service providers across the country are bracing for a flurry of participant activity with respect to...more
4/16/2020
/ Breach of Duty ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Threats ,
Defined Benefit Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fraud ,
Relief Measures ,
Retirement Plan
Brief Takeaway: Plan sponsors that offer employer stock in their benefit plans can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Supreme Court vacated one of the only plaintiff-friendly rulings in ERISA “stock drop” litigation. ...more
1/17/2020
/ Appeals ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Officers ,
Dismissals ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employee Stock Purchase Plans ,
ESOP ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
Fraud ,
Inflated Projections ,
Insider Information ,
Misrepresentation ,
Plan Participants ,
Pleading Standards ,
Popular ,
Remand ,
Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v Jander ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Violations ,
Vacated