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Arbitration Fiduciary Duty

Arbitration is a widely-used method for settling disputes between parties. During arbitration, parties submit their dispute to an impartial third person or party, usually chosen by the parties. Typically, parties... more +
Arbitration is a widely-used method for settling disputes between parties. During arbitration, parties submit their dispute to an impartial third person or party, usually chosen by the parties. Typically, parties to arbitration agree in advance to be bound by the arbitrator's decision. Arbitration is an alternative to litigation, but it shares many of the familiar features of litigation. Namely, parties to arbitration hold hearings before neutral decision-makers, present evidence and argue the merits of their position. Parties often choose arbitration due to its perceived advantages over litigation. Those perceived advantages include greater efficiency and flexibility, and lower costs. less -
Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Sixth Circuit Again Invalidates ERISA Plan Arbitration Clause

The Sixth Circuit recently reversed a district court’s dismissal, and order requiring arbitration of, a proposed class action alleging fiduciary breaches in connection with the Kellogg Company 401(k) plan. Fleming v. Kellogg...more

Carlton Fields

Second Circuit Rejects Enforcement of Class Waiver and Arbitration Agreement Under FAA, Finds That Provisions Impermissibly...

Carlton Fields on

The plaintiff sued the trustee of his retirement plan, his former employer, and others for breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the plan’s purchase of shares of the employer’s parent company for more than fair market...more

Freiberger Haber LLP

Collateral Estoppel Held Not To Bar Later-Filed Malpractice Action

Freiberger Haber LLP on

In Villaver v. Paglinawan, 2024 N.Y. Slip Op. 04159 (2d Dept. Aug. 7, 2024) (here), the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed the dismissal of a legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and intentional infliction...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Second Circuit Weighs in Against ERISA Arbitration

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Recently, the Second Circuit became the latest circuit refusing to enforce individual arbitration of an ERISA class action, joining the Third, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. The Ninth Circuit, by contrast, has held that class...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

In Split Ruling Second Circuit Declines to Compel Arbitration of ERISA Plan Claims

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but there were no flowers for ERISA plan sponsors and fiduciaries on May 1 when the Second Circuit held, in a ruling that provoked a vigorous dissenting opinion, that an ERISA...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

District Court Finds Arbitration and Class Action Waiver Provision Enforceable in Retirement Plan

The Eastern District of Kentucky recently became the latest court to weigh in on arbitration and class action waiver provisions in ERISA-governed defined contribution plans. In Merrow v. Horizon Bank, the court found such a...more

Conyers

B2B, B2C, BVI – Crypto Disputes in the Caribbean

Conyers on

In the crypto world, does it really matter where you are? Is there a sunny offshore paradise perspective on the click of a button and a fintech trade? The answer lies as usual in how to unravel a problem should it arise. Both...more

Kilpatrick

Supreme Court declines to clarify enforceability of mandatory arbitration provisions for fiduciary breach claims

Kilpatrick on

Are mandatory arbitration provisions with class action waivers a solution to the onslaught of class action litigation against 401(k) plans in recent years? Some courts have enforced mandatory arbitration provisions in ERISA...more

Kilpatrick

Supreme Court Declines to Clarify Enforceability of Mandatory Arbitration for Fiduciary Breach Claims

Kilpatrick on

Are mandatory arbitration provisions with class action waivers a simple solution to the onslaught of class action litigation that has plagued 401(k) plans in recent years? The results so far have been mixed. Some courts have...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Disputes Between Shareholders May Not Be Governed by Fiduciary Duties but Could Be Covered by Insurance

Disputes regarding ownership interests often arise in the context of closely held corporations, particularly when directors, officers, or majority shareholders sell or acquire ownership interests in the company. These...more

Winstead PC

Texas Supreme Court Holds That The Incorporation Of AAA Rules Can Delegate Scope Issues To The Arbitrator, Which May or May Not...

Winstead PC on

The Texas Supreme Court held that arbitration clauses in trust documents may be enforced regarding claims by beneficiaries against trustees. In Rachal v. Reitz, a beneficiary sued a trustee for failing to provide an...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Individual Arbitration of ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims – Is it Possible and, if So, Is It Worth It?

Proskauer Rose LLP on

As plan sponsors and fiduciaries cope with the increased volume of class action Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) lawsuits, some have considered the prospects of reducing their exposure through arbitration...more

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers

10th Circuit Rejects ERISA Arbitration Provision

Courts have been mixed regarding the enforceability of arbitration provisions in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) retirement plans since the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2019 decision in Dorman v. Charles...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

LLC Operating Agreements: Indemnity, Arbitration, and Equity

LLC operating agreements frequently provide for indemnity to the LLC’s manager. This is consistent with the statutory default rule embodied by California Corporations Code section 17704.08(a), which provides for indemnity...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Claims in Favor of Arbitration in Dispute over Sale of Pittsburgh Penguins

Morris James LLP on

Wildfire Productions, L.P. v. Team Lemieux LLC, C.A. No. 2021-1072-PAF (Del. Ch. June 29, 2022) - The Federal Arbitration Act and the public policy of Delaware favor the resolution of disputes through arbitration....more

Holland & Knight LLP

Court Compels Proposed ESOP Class to Individual Arbitration Based on Plan Document

Holland & Knight LLP on

Historically, courts around the country have approached the enforceability of class action waivers and arbitration provisions in ESOP and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) plan documents differently,...more

Fisher Phillips

SCOTUS Review: 8 Key Rulings from Last Term that Impact the Workplace and 3 Issues We’re Watching

Fisher Phillips on

Many employers looked to the Supreme Court last term for clarity in cases with a significant impact on the workplace. The justices continued to shape the employment law landscape by ruling on an array of issues involving...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Virginia Supreme Court: Arbitration Clauses in Trusts Are Not Enforceable Against Beneficiaries

McGuireWoods LLP on

In Boyle v. Anderson, No. 210382 (Va. April 14, 2022), the Supreme Court of Virginia addressed an emerging topic in trusts and estates: whether a settlor can require that trustees and beneficiaries submit any disputes to...more

Robinson+Cole ERISA Claim Defense Blog

Sixth Circuit Rejects Arbitration Of Certain ERISA § 502(a)(2) Claims, Ruling That Employee Consent To Arbitration May Not Bind...

In Hawkins v. Cintas Corp., No. 21-3156, __ F.4th __, 2022 WL 1236954 (6th Cir. Apr. 27, 2022), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that an arbitration clause contained in certain individual employment...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Sixth Circuit Rejects Arbitration for Proposed Fiduciary Breach Class Action

The Sixth Circuit, in a matter of first impression for that Circuit, held an arbitration clause contained in an individual employment agreement did not apply to ERISA fiduciary breach claims brought on behalf of a defined...more

Miller Canfield

Arbitration of Fiduciary Breach Claim Cannot Be Compelled by Relying on Individual Employment Agreements

Miller Canfield on

In Hawkins, et al. v. Cintas Corp., No. 21-3156, __ F.4d __ (2022), plaintiffs brought a class action pursuant to Section 502(a)(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), alleging that their former employer...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Uniform Arbitration Act Did Not Permit the Court of Chancery to Confirm or Vacate an Interim Partial Arbitration Award...

Morris James LLP on

Astrum Fund I GP, LP v. Maracci, C.A. No. 2020-0919-PAF (Del. Ch. Jan. 27, 2022) - Maracci v. Astrum Fund I GP, LP, C.A. No. 2021-0073-PAF (Del. Ch. Jan. 27, 2022) A limited partnership agreement’s dispute resolution...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Thinking ESOPs: Courts Desperately Need Contextual Clues in Disputes Over Enforceability of Arbitration Provisions

Enforcement of an ERISA plan’s arbitration provision has become a hotly litigated issue. Plaintiffs and courts often raise two objections to arbitration provisions in ERISA plans, including ESOPs. The first is whether...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Arbitration under ERISA: A Roadmap for Enforcement

As costly class action retirement plan litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) proliferates, mandatory individual arbitration has become an increasingly appealing alternative for certain benefit...more

Jenner & Block

The “Defensive” 401(k) Plan

Jenner & Block on

No good deed goes unpunished. Those of us working with 401(k) plans are familiar with this sentiment. An employee benefit plan, as the name implies, is supposed to benefit employees. Yet benefit plans – particularly 401(k)...more

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