News & Analysis as of

Fiduciary Duty Class Action Retirement Plan

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Benefits Monthly Minute - October 2024

The October Monthly Minute highlights two recent retirement plan cases, one in which the court sides with the plan and emphasizes plan administrative review over specific investment results and another where plaintiffs are...more

Goodwin

Supreme Court Grants Review in ERISA Class Action Challenging Plan Sponsor’s Recordkeeping Arrangement

Goodwin on

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

Carlton Fields

Practical Thoughts for Sponsors About Current ERISA Forfeiture Litigation

Carlton Fields on

A notable trend in ERISA litigation has emerged as in-house attorneys look to mitigate the risks of coming waves of class action litigation. Beginning in late 2023, there have been several challenges to the use of forfeiture...more

The Wagner Law Group

District Court Grants Motion to Dismiss Forfeiture Complaint

The Wagner Law Group on

Last year, we alerted you to the filing of several class action lawsuits alleging that plan fiduciaries violated their duties of prudence and loyalty under Title I of ERISA by using forfeitures to reduce employer...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Class Action Alleges “Scheme” by TIAA and Morningstar to Drive Participants into TIAA’s Most Profitable Funds

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

On August 5, three Named Plaintiffs sued TIAA and Morningstar in the S.D.N.Y., claiming Defendants engaged in a “scheme to enhance corporate profits” by counseling participants to invest in two of TIAA’s most lucrative...more

The Wagner Law Group

Forfeiture Cases – Update

The Wagner Law Group on

Last year, we alerted you to the filing of several class action lawsuits alleging that plan fiduciaries violated their duties of prudence and loyalty under Title I of ERISA by applying forfeitures to reduce employer...more

Goodwin

Minding the Store: Unanticipated ESG Issues Affecting ERISA Fiduciary Supervision

Goodwin on

A recent summary judgment decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in an ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) class action challenging the alleged impact of environmental, social,...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Conflicting Decisions Foreshadow Upcoming Disputes in ERISA 401(K) Forfeiture Class Actions

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Conflicting orders on motions to dismiss from two California courts foreshadow issues for a new theory of ERISA liability. Employers have faced a recent wave of novel ERISA class actions that challenge the reallocation of...more

Mayer Brown

Northern District of Texas Expands Fiduciary Exposure by Permitting ESG Proxy Voting Theory to Go to Trial

Mayer Brown on

Case Name and Number: Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., et al., No. 4:23-cv-00552 - INTRODUCTION - On June 20, 2024, Judge Reed O’Connor in the Northern District of Texas (the “court”) denied a motion for summary...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Use of Plan Forfeitures Not the Slam Dunk It Used to Be

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

A recent rash of class action lawsuits in California claim that using forfeitures to reduce future employer contributions to tax-qualified retirement plans runs afoul of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)....more

Troutman Pepper

EDVA Judge Allows Pension Investment Expert to Testify in Class Action ERISA Case

Troutman Pepper on

A recent decision by Senior District Judge Robert Payne on a Daubert motion in class action litigation against a pension fund offers some helpful lessons on challenging expert witnesses in the EDVA. Trauernicht v. Genworth...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California District Court Dismisses Conclusory ERISA “Fee” Complaint Unsupported by Facts

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

A California federal court recently granted an employer win in an ERISA excessive fee case when it dismissed a proposed class action brought by an ex-employee of Schenker, Inc., a transportation logistics company. Partida v....more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Welfare Plan Class Action Litigation Underscores Importance of Minding Your Fiduciary Duties

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

As mentioned in our recent blog post, the recently filed class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (Lewandowski v. Johnson & Johnson et. al., D.N.J., No. 1:24-cv-00671 (Feb. 5, 2024)) over alleged excessive prescription...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Pension Risk Transfer Considerations and Recent Litigation - A Case of Imprudent “Passing the Buck” or Sound Risk Management?

Bricker Graydon LLP on

Over the last several years, numerous large pension plan sponsors have transferred billions of dollars in financial risk related to their pension plan benefit obligations to insurance companies through the purchase of group...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

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

American Airlines Moves to Dismiss Suit Challenging Inclusion of ESG Funds in Retirement Plan

In August 2023, American Airlines, Inc. moved to dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against the airline for allegedly jeopardizing employees’ retirement savings by investing in environmental, social and governance (ESG)...more

Littler

Michigan Court Dismisses ERISA Class-Action

Littler on

Fiduciaries of 401(k) and other retirement plans continue to be targeted by class action lawsuits brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) challenging fiduciary decisions regarding investment options...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

District Court Breaks Trend and Allows Claims Challenging Prudence of BlackRock LifePath Index Target Date Funds to Proceed

We have previously blogged on the flurry of class action lawsuits challenging 401(k) plan investments in the BlackRock LifePath Index Target Date Funds. District courts around the country—seven of them in total—have granted...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Eighth Circuit’s “Meaningful Benchmark” Requirement for 401(k) “Excessive Fee” Lawsuits Continues to Generate Dismissals

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

On August 21, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota largely dismissed—for a second time—a putative ERISA class action challenging “excessive” fees and “poor” performance in a 401(k) plan. Fritton v....more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Dismissal Streak Continues in BlackRock Target Date Fund Litigation

A third district court has dismissed with prejudice a complaint alleging that defendants breached their fiduciary duties under ERISA by offering 401(k) plan participants the option to invest in BlackRock LifePath Index Target...more

Littler

Federal Court Dismisses Case Alleging Breach of ERISA Fiduciary Duties in 401(k) Class Action

Littler on

Fiduciaries of retirement plans continue to be plagued by class actions brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) challenging their fiduciary management of investment options and participant fees. A...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

SeaWorld Litigation will continue

A class action lawsuit brought by former SeaWorld employees that alleged participants in the SWBG LLC 401(k) plan were harmed will continue. The former employees’ arguments sustained the fiduciary breach of the duty of...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

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Court Finds Named Plaintiffs Inadequate to Represent Proposed Class on ERISA Excessive Fee Claims

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent decision from the Eastern District of Michigan serves as a reminder that—while courts are often quick to certify classes in ERISA cases—plaintiffs must satisfy the requirements of Rule 23 and that...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Tech company agrees to fork over $1 million in class action case

Coriant agreed to pay $1 million to resolve claims it violated its fiduciary duties under ERISA while administering its 401(k) plan. Coriant was an optical telecommunications company that was acquired by another company in...more

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