Key takeaway: The Supreme Court held that to state an ERISA prohibited-transaction claim under 29 U.S.C. § 1106(a), a plaintiff needs only to plausibly allege the elements contained in § 1106(a) itself and does not need to...more
4/21/2025
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Class Action ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Fee-Shifting ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Pleading Standards ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Retirement Plan ,
Rule 11 ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority
Key takeaway: The Supreme Court granted certiorari to address the pleading standards for prohibited-transaction claims under 29 U.S.C. § 1106(a).
On October 4, 2024, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Cunningham v....more
On February 16, 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a significant and controversial ruling that gave personhood status to unimplanted human embryos—a decision with considerable implications for in vitro fertilization...more
On June 7, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Jack Daniel’s Properties v. VIP Products, reversing the Ninth Circuit and holding in favor of the owner of the Jack Daniel’s whiskey brand. In a unanimous...more
6/12/2023
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Dilution ,
First Amendment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jack Daniels Properties Inc v VIP Products LLC ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Parody ,
Rogers Test ,
SCOTUS ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
The US Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts v. Goldsmith, holding that the purpose and character of the Andy Warhol Foundation’s use of a copyrighted photograph of the...more
5/23/2023
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Artists ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Derivative Works ,
Fair Use ,
Fine Art ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Photographs ,
SCOTUS ,
The Copyright Act ,
Transformative Use
The US Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which overturned Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of a federal constitutional right to abortion — has had a tectonic impact. Less than...more
4/12/2023
/ Abortion ,
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ,
FDA Approval ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Judicial Intervention ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Stays
On December 1, 2022, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated a district court’s certification of a nationwide class of 8,000+ retirement plans serving hundreds of thousands of participants in an ERISA action...more
12/8/2022
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Loans ,
Predominance Requirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
TIAA CREF ,
Vacated
Last fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to pre-viability abortion. The decision has created significant confusion...more
Welcome to Goodwin’s ERISA Litigation Update. Litigation involving ERISA-governed benefits plans has exploded in recent years. Lawyers in our award-winning ERISA Litigation practice have extensive experience litigating these...more
This fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Seventh Circuit’s decision in Hughes v. Northwestern University, an important ERISA case. Although the Court’s decision vacated a Seventh Circuit victory for plan sponsor...more
1/28/2022
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Excessive Fees ,
Hughes v. Northwestern University ,
Plan Participants ,
Pleading Standards ,
Remand ,
Retirement Plan ,
Retirement Plan Providers ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated
This fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
This fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
Welcome to Goodwin’s ERISA Litigation Update. Litigation involving ERISA-governed benefits plans has exploded in recent years. Lawyers in our award-winning ERISA Litigation practice have extensive experience litigating these...more
12/17/2021
/ Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Excessive Fees ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investment Management ,
Investment Products ,
Investors ,
Oral Argument ,
Pleading Standards ,
Retirement Plan
On December 6, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court heard argument in Hughes v. Northwestern University, a case debating the allegations necessary to state a plausible claim for breach of ERISA’s fiduciary duties in cases challenging...more
12/9/2021
/ 403(b) Plans ,
Breach of Duty ,
Certiorari ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Oral Argument ,
Pleading Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
SCOTUS
This fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
This fall, after returning from a year of telephone arguments, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly changed its argument format. The biggest change was the addition of an untimed round of questioning at the end of each...more
Welcome to Goodwin’s ERISA Litigation Update. Litigation involving ERISA-governed benefits plans has exploded in recent years. Lawyers in our award-winning ERISA Litigation practice have extensive experience litigating these...more
10/14/2021
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Administrative Expenses ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Fiduciary ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investors ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Plan Participants ,
Pleading Standards ,
Retirement Plan ,
Standing ,
Summary Judgment ,
Vacated
Eviction moratoria at both the state and federal levels are appearing increasingly vulnerable. On August 12, the U.S. Supreme Court partially enjoined New York’s eviction moratorium, concluding that the state’s...more
8/17/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Due Process ,
Eviction ,
Landlords ,
Moratorium ,
Public Health Service Act ,
Rent ,
Rental Property ,
Self-Certification ,
Tenants
Welcome to Goodwin’s ERISA Litigation Update. Litigation involving ERISA-governed benefits plans has exploded in recent years. Lawyers in our award-winning ERISA Litigation practice have extensive experience litigating these...more
7/30/2021
/ 401k ,
Administrative Expenses ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Certiorari ,
Class Certification ,
Co-payments ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Excessive Fees ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Forum Selection ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
Investors ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Pensions ,
Pleading Standards ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Retirement Plan ,
Thole v U.S. Bank
In Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. v. Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, the U.S. Supreme Court answered two important questions regarding the standards that govern class certification in securities fraud actions, affirming the...more
6/25/2021
/ Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v Goldman Sachs Group ,
Basic v Levinson ,
Burden of Persuasion ,
Burden of Proof ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Investors ,
Presumption of Reliance ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an important decision impacting personal jurisdiction Thursday in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court et. al. and Ford Motor Co. v. Adam Bandemer, a pair of cases about...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday, February 4, affirmed the dismissal of an ERISA class-action lawsuit filed against General Electric Company and its former CEO. The complaint had alleged the...more
2/8/2021
/ 401k ,
Appeals ,
Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Dismissals ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ERISA Litigation ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Retirement Plan ,
Stock Options
In one of its last opinions to be released this Term, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision on June 22, 2020 in Liu v. Securities and Exchange Commission, a case about whether and to what extent disgorgement is an...more
6/25/2020
/ 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5) ,
Administrative Authority ,
Business Expenses ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equitable Relief ,
Kokesh v SEC ,
Lack of Authority ,
Liu v Securities and Exchange Commission ,
Net Profits ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)