ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Benefits

  • August 06, 2025

    Compelling ERISA Arbitration No Sure Thing, 9th Circ. Shows

    The Ninth Circuit aligned with several other federal appeals courts when it recently struck down a clause in a food service company's employee health plan that barred class or representative actions, marking the latest in a series of setbacks for employers looking to push federal benefits suits into solo arbitration.

  • August 06, 2025

    Masimo Drops Founder Joe Kiani From 'Empty Voting' Suit

    Masimo Corp. has agreed to free its founder, Joe Kiani, from the medical technology company's suit alleging he manipulated a shareholder vote through an "empty voting" scheme, pointing to "the interest of judicial efficiency and economy."

  • August 06, 2025

    Texas Hospital Should Face Retirement Plan Suit, Judge Says

    A Houston hospital shouldn't dodge a proposed class action claiming it failed to remove a J.P. Morgan fund from its $2.8 billion employee retirement plan despite the investment option's consistent underperformance, a Texas federal magistrate judge recommended Wednesday, saying the allegations are solid enough to stay in court.

  • August 06, 2025

    Wells Fargo Worker To Pay $3M To Settle ESOP Class Claims

    A Wells Fargo employee will pay $3 million to resolve claims against her in a class action alleging owners of an electrical component company and managers of its employee stock ownership plan undervalued the plan's shares when the program shut down, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • August 06, 2025

    Rising Star: Cohen Milstein's Ryan Wheeler

    Ryan Wheeler of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC has recovered millions of dollars for his clients in benefits cases, like one claiming that Citgo shorted retirees in pension payments, and another saying that an Illinois casino used an employee stock ownership plan to craft a shady company sale, earning him a spot among the benefits law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 06, 2025

    LA Seeks To Nix Attys In Ex-Cop's Military Leave Bias Suit

    Attorneys for a former Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant improperly obtained and tried to use a privileged email between a city attorney and a current LAPD lieutenant in a military bias suit, the city said, urging a California federal court to disqualify them from the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    Wash. Judge Questions Injunctions' Scope In Head Start Case

    A Washington federal judge asked attorneys Tuesday to explain how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision concerning nationwide injunctions might impact efforts by a group of Head Start associations to halt federal directives restricting noncitizen access to the program and use of funds for diversity initiatives.

  • August 05, 2025

    OptumRx Urges Panel To DQ Motley Rice In LA Opioid Suit

    OptumRx told a California appellate panel Tuesday that Motley Rice should be disqualified from representing Los Angeles County in a lawsuit alleging it colluded with drugmakers to fuel the opioid crisis, saying the firm violated state law by using confidential information obtained in the case in other lawsuits it's handling against Optum.

  • August 05, 2025

    UBH Patients Score Partial Win In Mental Health Claims Fight

    A California federal judge handed a partial win Tuesday to a class of participants in employee health benefit plans who sought coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatments from United Behavioral Health, holding the company's overly restrictive guidelines breached fiduciary duties under federal benefits law.

  • August 05, 2025

    Law Profs Urge 11th Circ. To Toss Judge-Shopping Sanctions

    A group of seven law school professors is urging the Eleventh Circuit to toss a sanctions ruling against three attorneys for judge shopping, arguing that federal law does not forbid the practice and citing the "potentially chilling effect the order will have on counsel, especially those involved in pro bono representation."

  • August 05, 2025

    White & Case Lands Baker Botts Benefits Chair

    The firmwide executive compensation and employee benefits chair at Baker Botts LLP became the 20th U.S. lateral partner to join White & Case LLP this year, according to a Tuesday announcement.

  • August 05, 2025

    Rising Star: Proskauer's Justin S. Alex

    Proskauer Rose LLP partner Justin S. Alex has tackled the benefits aspects of a slew of major sports industry deals over the past 15 years, including the sales of three NFL teams, earning him a spot among the benefits law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 05, 2025

    Ex-Officer Says LAPD Withheld Info In Military Leave Bias Suit

    A former Los Angeles Police Department officer claiming he was passed over for a promotion because of his military status said he has not received the records he requested containing information about similarly situated employees. 

  • August 05, 2025

    Teva Settles Claims Over Delayed Generic Asthma Inhalers

    Teva Pharmaceuticals has settled a 2023 lawsuit by a coalition of union healthcare funds accusing the company of thwarting the introduction of a generic version of its QVAR inhalers to the market, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • August 05, 2025

    IRS Floats Update To System For Fringe Benefits

    The Internal Revenue Service floated rules Tuesday that would change its system of business classification for employees hoping to exclude fringe benefits and employee discounts from their gross income at tax time.

  • August 05, 2025

    Alaska Airlines Can't Nix Flight Attendant's Surgery Win

    A Washington state appeals court won't disturb a jury's finding that a flight attendant was entitled to coverage of a spine surgery for an injury she sustained while working for Alaska Airlines, saying the trial court judge rightly rejected the airline's proposed jury instruction for its confusion.

  • August 04, 2025

    11th Circ. Says Bakery Co. Can't Dodge $15.6M Pension Bill

    The Eleventh Circuit backed a pension fund's calculations that a wholesale bakery company may have to pay as much as $15.6 million after exiting the benefits plan, ruling it properly applied a credit outlined in the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act.

  • August 04, 2025

    Consumers Want Fees Of $49M From $203M In Chicken Deals

    Broiler chicken consumers asked an Illinois federal judge on Monday for about $49 million in attorney fees from two rounds of price-fixing deals they've struck with major producers, matching the settlement percentage to which a Seventh Circuit panel last month found class counsel was entitled.

  • August 04, 2025

    Nurse Agrees To Repay $614K For False Claims In Conn.

    A nurse who owned a medication management business and two Connecticut residential care homes agreed on Monday to settle state and federal False Claims Act allegations for $614,000, ending allegations that he billed Medicare and Medicaid impossible daily hours and for clients that were hospitalized or dead.

  • August 04, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Most Of Sodexo's ERISA Arbitration Push

    The Ninth Circuit said Monday that employers can't unilaterally change Employee Retirement Income Security Act-governed plans to require arbitration, backing the bulk of a trial court ruling that refused to throw out of court a nicotine fee lawsuit against food service company Sodexo.

  • August 04, 2025

    Hair Care Brand Olaplex Settles IPO Investors' Suit For $47.5M

    Olaplex Holdings Inc. has reached a $47.5 million settlement with investors to resolve a proposed class action alleging that the hair care brand's initial public offering documents did not disclose that the European Union had banned a controversial ingredient called lilial, which would affect Olaplex's main product offering.

  • August 04, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week at the Delaware Court of Chancery, insurance brokerage and risk management giant Marsh & McLennan Cos. sought injunctive relief in a new suit accusing U.S. affiliates of London-based Howden Holdings Ltd. of a poaching scheme that involved over 100 M&M employees resigning on July 21. 

  • August 04, 2025

    Rising Star: Gibson Dunn's Gina Hancock

    Gina Hancock of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has guided companies through executive compensation and employee benefits practices as part of mergers and acquisition deals worth more than $60 billion in total, earning her a spot as one of the benefits law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 04, 2025

    Cold Storage Co. Duped Investors Before 2024 IPO, Suit Says

    A pension fund has sued Lineage Inc., a cold-storage real estate investment trust, and several of its executives in Michigan federal court over the company's initial public offering, the largest of 2024, alleging the REIT and its top brass misled investors about softening demand and unsustainable pricing.

  • August 01, 2025

    Supreme Court Asked To Weigh In On Distillery-Union Row

    An Oregon distillery has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to revive its challenge of a National Labor Relations Board decision that dinged the liquor maker for unfair labor practices, saying clarity was needed for a legal standard that the distillery says has allowed NLRB decisions to escape judicial review.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Ways The Dole Act Alters USERRA Employment Protections

    Author Photo

    The recently passed Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act continues a long-standing trend of periodically increasing the scope of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, expanding civilian employment rights for service members and veterans with some of the most significant changes yet, say attorneys at Littler.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

    Author Photo

    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

    Author Photo

    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

    Author Photo

    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

    Author Photo

    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

    Author Photo

    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • How The ESG Investing Rule Survived Loper Bright, For Now

    Author Photo

    A Texas federal court's recent decision in Utah v. Micone upholding the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 ESG investing rule highlights how regulations can withstand the post-Loper Bright landscape when an agency's interpretation of its statutorily determined boundaries is not granted deference, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

    Author Photo

    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

    Author Photo

    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Benefits archive.