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Benefits

  • September 04, 2025

    GAO Calls On VA To Boost Exam Contractor Oversight

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to strengthen its procedures after a review found that one of its offices paid $2.3 million worth of unearned incentives to contractors hired to provide medical exams for veteran disability claims.

  • September 04, 2025

    Goldman Investors Clinch Class Cert. In 1MDB Bribery Suit

    A New York federal judge on Thursday overruled objections raised by Goldman Sachs and fully adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation to certify a class of Goldman investors who claim losses from the 1MDB bond bribery scandal.

  • September 04, 2025

    NC Panel Reopens 13 Asbestos Cases Against Tire-Maker

    A split panel in a North Carolina state appeals court has revived more than a dozen workers' compensation cases linked to alleged asbestos exposure at a Continental Tire factory, finding the individual claimants are not bound by the results of bellwether cases.

  • September 04, 2025

    Aetna, Optum's $8.3M ERISA Health Fee Deal Gets Final OK

    A North Carolina federal judge granted final approval to an $8.3 million class action settlement to end an employee health plan participant's allegations that Aetna conspired with OptumHealth Care Solutions to pass on administrative fees disguised as medical expenses, according to an order docketed Thursday.

  • September 04, 2025

    AARP Attys Back Suit Challenging TIAA's 401(k) Management

    AARP attorneys have offered their resources to a proposed class action claiming the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America shirked federal benefits law by failing to cut costly and underperforming proprietary investment funds from its workers' retirement plans.

  • September 04, 2025

    DOJ Moves To End Challenge To RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Directive

    The Justice Department is seeking a quick exit from a suit challenging Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s directive recommending against the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women and children, telling a Massachusetts federal court Thursday that the three women and coalition of medical associations behind the suit can't demonstrate a link between the directive and any potential injuries.

  • September 04, 2025

    RFK Renews Attacks On CDC At Fiery Capitol Hill Appearance

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced intense questioning from lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday, with a handful of Republicans joining Democratic senators in voicing alarm over recent turmoil in vaccine policy and in leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • September 04, 2025

    PBM Rule Included In DOL Benefits Arm's Regulatory Update

    The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm detailed several new regulations in the works Thursday, including a new fee disclosure rule involving pharmacy benefit managers and plans to revisit retirement plan fiduciary investment advice regulations, according to the administration's latest regulatory update.

  • September 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Satanists' Idaho Abortion Ban Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused to revive the Satanic Temple's lawsuit that challenged Idaho's laws criminalizing abortion, ruling in a published amended opinion Tuesday that the religious association of more than 1.5 million Satanists lacked standing to sue, both based on its members and as an organization.

  • September 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Genentech Ex-Worker's 401(k) Suit

    The Ninth Circuit will not reconsider whether fiduciaries for the retirement plan of biotechnology company Genentech violated their duty to be prudent by keeping certain target date retirement funds in the company's retirement portfolio.

  • September 03, 2025

    Lumen's Bid To Move $1.4B Pension Suit Out Of Colo. Blocked

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday rejected Lumen Technologies' request to move to Louisiana a proposed class action alleging it wrongly transferred obligations for a $1.4 billion pension fund to a private equity-controlled insurance company, with the judge finding the venue provision in the pension plan does not apply.

  • September 03, 2025

    Insurers Argue NC Law Doesn't Apply In Tanger's COVID Suit

    Two major insurance companies shouldn't be subject to North Carolina law in a dispute over a commercial property insurance policy they penned with a Tar Heel State-based retail outlet owner, one of the insurer's counsel told North Carolina's business court in a Wednesday hearing.

  • September 03, 2025

    Ex-Air Force Worker Says Disability Bias Case Can't End Early

    A former U.S. Air Force assistant general manager told an Arizona federal court that he supported his claims that he was denied paid safety leave during the coronavirus pandemic because of his disability, urging the court to keep his case standing.

  • September 03, 2025

    Ex-Twitter Worker Fights X's Arbitration Push At 9th Circ.

    X waived its arbitration rights in a $20 million severance suit and should not be able to challenge a district court's decision keeping the case in court, Twitter's former chief marketing officer told the Ninth Circuit.

  • September 03, 2025

    Arkansas Insurance Rule Beats Union Plan's ERISA Challenge

    An Illinois federal judge has tossed a Teamsters healthcare plan's challenge to an Arkansas insurance regulation that aims to protect local pharmacies from under-reimbursement for prescription drugs, saying the regulation doesn't tread on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's territory.

  • September 03, 2025

    Claim Mistake Dooms Flutist's Benefits Suit, 7th Circ. Says

    The Seventh Circuit backed the dismissal of a musician's suit alleging an insurer wrongfully denied her long-term disability benefits claim after a COVID-19 infection caused chronic ear ringing, ruling she needs to file a new claim because she made an error in her first application.

  • September 02, 2025

    Bernstein Litowitz To Lead Hasbro Investors' Post-COVID Suit

    Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP will represent a proposed class of investors in a suit alleging toy and games giant Hasbro Inc. and some of its current and former executives concealed certain inventory level issues following a pandemic-era spike in demand for games and global supply chain disruptions.

  • September 02, 2025

    AT&T May Avoid Pension Risk Transfer Suit, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge recommended granting AT&T and State Street's motions to dismiss a proposed class action from AT&T retirees alleging the companies put their pensions at unnecessary risk through an $8 billion pension annuity deal, finding allegations failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law. 

  • September 02, 2025

    Freddie Mac Beats Investor Suit Over Subprime Exposure

    An Ohio federal judge has tossed a nearly two-decade-old lawsuit accusing Freddie Mac of failing to warn investors about its exposure to the flagging subprime market, ruling that the lawsuit hadn't identified any material misleading statements made by the company in the lead-up to the housing crisis.

  • September 02, 2025

    Ex-Education Exec's Pension Cut After Theft Conviction

    The former director of East Haven, Connecticut's before-and-after-school program will see a $500 monthly reduction in her pension for almost nine years after a state court judge docked the payments due to her 2021 conviction for stealing from the town's board of education.

  • September 02, 2025

    Defunding Planned Parenthood Is Meant To Punish, Judge Says

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday refused to lift an order that keeps Medicaid reimbursements flowing to Planned Parenthood, ruling that legislation intended to halt the organization's federal funding appears to illegally target the group for punishment.

  • September 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs X In Arb. Fees In Severance Case

    Courts can't sort out who pays arbitration fees, and employers' refusal to pay such fees isn't a failure to arbitrate, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday, siding with X in a case accusing the social media platform of owing workers severance.

  • September 02, 2025

    Wells Fargo Employee Drug Cost Battle: What To Know

    A group of former Wells Fargo employees is back in federal court this week with allegations the company mismanaged their prescription drug benefits, leading to millions in overpayments. The banking giant says the case is a do-over of allegations already axed by the Minnesota court

  • September 02, 2025

    Colgate-Palmolive To Shell Out $332M In Pension Payout Fight

    Colgate-Palmolive retirees asked a New York federal judge to greenlight a $332 million class action deal in their suit claiming the household products company shorted them on lump-sum retirement payouts, signaling the end of a nearly decade-old case that reached the Second Circuit in 2023. 

  • August 29, 2025

    Federal Judge Blocks New Texas ESG Disclosure Law

    A Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the state attorney general from enforcing a new state law that requires proxy advisory firms to disclose when their advice stems from factors such as diversity and inclusion, siding with the companies that argued the law breaches the First Amendment.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Navigate NYC's Stricter New Prenatal Leave Rules

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    On top of the state's prenatal leave law, New York City employers now face additional rules, including notice and recordkeeping requirements, and necessary separation from sick leave, so employers should review their policies and train staff to ensure compliance with both laws, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Restore Its 2020 Proxy Adviser Rule

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    Due to concerns over proxy advisers' accuracy, reliability and transparency, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should reinstate its 2020 rule designed to suppress the influence that they wield in shareholder voting, says Kyle Isakower at the American Council for Capital Formation.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • What Dismissal Rulings May Mean For ERISA Forfeiture Cases

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    Following an influx of Employee Retirement Income Security Act class actions challenging the long-standing practice of plan sponsors using plan forfeitures to offset employer contributions, recent motion to dismiss rulings and a U.S. Department of Labor amicus brief may encourage more courts to reject plaintiffs' forfeiture theories, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Justices' Decision Axing Retiree's ADA Claim Offers Clarity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's holding in Stanley v. City of Sanford that protections under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act don't extend to retirees potentially limits liability by giving employers additional support to challenge complaints, and highlights the need for proactive policy management to mitigate risk, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • DOJ-HHS Collab Crystallizes Focus On Health Enforcement

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    The recently announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat False Claims Act violations, following a multiyear trend of high-dollar DOJ recoveries, signals a long-term enforcement horizon with major implications for healthcare entities and whistleblowers, say attorneys at RJO.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Lessons On Parallel Settlements From Vanguard Class Action

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    A Pennsylvania federal judge’s unexpected denial of a proposed $40 million settlement of an investor class action against Vanguard highlights key factors parties should consider when settlement involves both regulators and civil plaintiffs, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • What To Know As SEC Looks To Expand Private Fund Access

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    As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission considers expanding retail access to private markets, understanding how these funds operate — and the role of financial intermediaries in guiding investors — is increasingly important, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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