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Benefits

  • April 09, 2025

    'Evasive' Unions Told To List Fired Probationary Workers

    The California federal judge who ordered the reinstatement of many fired probationary federal workers before the U.S. Supreme Court stayed his ruling on Wednesday ordered the public sector unions representing federal staffers to provide a list of their booted members, calling their claims that the information would be difficult to produce "evasive."

  • April 09, 2025

    Mass. Justices Asked To Raise Bar For Pension, Benefit Loss

    Massachusetts' highest court was asked on Wednesday to adopt a more expansive interpretation of what constitutes cruel or unusual punishment or an excessive fine in the case of a former state trooper whose $1 million public pension and healthcare benefits were forfeited after his conviction in an overtime fraud case.

  • April 09, 2025

    Data Co. Can't Make DOL Accept Health Plan, Judge Says

    A data-mining company can't force the U.S. Department of Labor to acknowledge that a health insurance plan offered in exchange for participants' user data is covered by federal benefits law, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying the case's thin record prevented the court from deciding issues the Fifth Circuit told it to consider.

  • April 09, 2025

    Twitter Seeks To Strike Arbitrations In Severance Fight

    Fifteen individual arbitration awards don't add anything to workers' claims seeking additional severance payments from X, the social media platform argued, urging a Delaware federal court to strike them from the docket.

  • April 09, 2025

    Mortgage Co. Can't Toss 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action against Republic Mortgage Insurance Co. from an ex-worker who alleged his 401(k) plan was mismanaged, finding allegations were backed up with enough evidence to proceed to discovery.

  • April 08, 2025

    Jenner & Block, WilmerHale Seek Shutdown Of Trump Orders

    Jenner & Block LLP and WilmerHale on Tuesday asked Washington, D.C., federal judges for permanent court orders blocking President Donald Trump's executive orders targeting the firms, saying the directives threaten the firms, their clients and the entire legal system.

  • April 08, 2025

    Pa. Justices Probe Limits To Workers' Comp Immunity

    Pennsylvania's Supreme Court questioned the fairness of state law offering broad immunity from liability to co-workers in workers' compensation cases, especially when injuries stemmed from acts that weren't immediately part of the job, as a company co-owner argued Tuesday that the "straightforward" language in the law gives him that protection.

  • April 08, 2025

    Starbucks Tears Into Missouri AG's 'Defective' DEI Lawsuit

    Starbucks urged a Missouri federal judge to toss a suit from the state's attorney general claiming the company employs diversity quotas that discriminate against white and male applicants, arguing the state hasn't presented any evidence that its diversity, equity and inclusion policies have negatively affected Missourians.

  • April 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Wary Of Judge Becoming 'King' Of Veteran Housing

    The Ninth Circuit appeared skeptical Tuesday of a California federal court's decision to establish control over a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility due to inadequate homelessness measures, with one panel member expressing concern the district judge gave himself the overbroad powers of a "king."

  • April 08, 2025

    Ballard Spahr Fired Atty For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Says

    A former attorney for Ballard Spahr LLP filed suit against the firm and the head of its employee benefits group Tuesday in New York federal court, claiming she was fired for taking medical leave and seeking a more flexible work schedule to deal with her epilepsy and a gastrointestinal condition. 

  • April 08, 2025

    Bernstein Litowitz, Kessler Topaz Seek To Lead GSK Investors

    Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP and Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP are seeking lead counsel roles in a proposed securities class action against GSK PLC in Pennsylvania federal court, citing a long history of collaboration and billions recovered for shareholders.

  • April 08, 2025

    Justices Halt Order To Reinstate Federal Workers

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday hit pause on a California federal court order reinstating tens of thousands of probationary federal workers who were fired from six agencies, agreeing with the Trump administration that the nonprofit groups that obtained the order lack standing to challenge the firings. 

  • April 07, 2025

    AT&T Wants 401(k) Forfeiture Suit Tossed

    AT&T has asked a California federal judge to throw out an employee's suit regarding forfeited employer 401(k) contributions, arguing it has the right to determine how the abandoned funds are used as the plan sponsor.

  • April 07, 2025

    Verizon, State Street Say Pension Annuity Suit Claims Fall Flat

    Verizon Communications and its independent fiduciary State Street urged a New York federal judge to toss a proposed class action from Verizon retirees who challenged the conversion of their federally regulated pension benefits into annuity insurance contracts, arguing the allegations lacked standing and failed to state a claim.

  • April 07, 2025

    Former Workers Say X Corp. Refuses To Arbitrate Their Claims

    A group of former Twitter employees is trying to force the company now known as X to arbitrate the workers' challenges to allegedly unlawful actions taken after Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform, claiming the social media giant is preventing their cases from moving forward by refusing to pay the full arbitration fees.

  • April 07, 2025

    Ohio Hospital Illegally Conducted Mass Layoffs, Workers Say

    An Ohio hospital abruptly laid off more than 100 workers without notice and failed to pay many of those employees their final paychecks, a proposed class action filed in federal court said.

  • April 07, 2025

    Conn. Judge Pauses 'Staggering' Hospital Data Subpoena

    A Connecticut judge temporarily paused a subpoena seeking what a health nonprofit called "a staggering amount" of confidential patient data by a proposed class of Constitution State residents accusing Hartford HealthCare Corp. of monopolizing the state's healthcare industry, stating that the court must review the subpoena first.

  • April 07, 2025

    Whole Foods To Settle Bonus Manipulation Suit

    Whole Foods has agreed to resolve a lawsuit claiming the grocery chain rigged an employee bonus program to reduce payouts to workers, according to a filing in D.C. federal court.

  • April 07, 2025

    Woody Allen Resolves Private Chef's Military Leave Suit

    Woody Allen struck a deal with his former private chef to resolve his suit accusing the filmmaker of abruptly firing him after he took time off to participate in military exercises as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, a filing in New York federal court said.

  • April 04, 2025

    Feds Say George Santos Should Spend 7 Years Behind Bars

    Federal prosecutors said Friday that former U.S. Rep. George Santos should spend 87 months — more than seven years — behind bars for his fraud and aggravated identity theft, a sentence that Santos' lawyers called "absurd," arguing instead that he shouldn't spend more than two years in prison.

  • April 04, 2025

    Split DC Circ. Denies Calif. Subsidies For Border Hospitals

    A split D.C. Circuit panel on Friday found it was not unconstitutional for California to exclude hospitals bordering the state from a program distributing supplemental payments to providers that serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

  • April 04, 2025

    US Bank Defeats Class Cert. In Early Retiree Benefits Suit

    A Minnesota federal judge on Friday rejected a bid to certify a class action for more than 2,000 U.S. Bank retirees accusing the bank of unlawfully reducing monthly pension payments for those taking early retirement, finding the proposed class had differing concerns that blocked classwide resolution.

  • April 04, 2025

    HHS Drops 11th Circ. Fight Over ACA Trans Rule Freeze

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agreed to drop its bid to overturn an order blocking it from enforcing regulations that extend the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination provisions to transgender individuals against Florida organizations, according to filings with the Eleventh Circuit.

  • April 04, 2025

    Ohio AG Takes Trans Care Limits Bid To State Justices

    Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has taken his bid to reinstate limits on gender-affirming care for transgender youths to the state's highest court and wants the law's enforcement to continue throughout his appeal.

  • April 04, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Revisit Benefit Math In Colgate ERISA Suit

    The Second Circuit refused Friday to rethink the methodology Colgate-Palmolive must use to recalculate retirement benefits for pensioners who said they were underpaid to the tune of $300 million, saying the issues raised by the company had already been decided.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • American Airlines ESG Ruling Could Alter ERISA Landscape

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    The Spence v. American Airlines ESG trial, speeding toward a conclusion in a Texas federal court, could foretell a dramatic expansion in ERISA liability, with plan sponsors vulnerable to claims that they didn't foresee short-term dips in stock prices, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • How To Comply With Chicago's New Paid Leave Ordinance

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    Chicago's new Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance went into effect earlier this month, so employers subject to the new rules should update leave policies, train supervisors and deliver notice as they seek compliance, say Alison Crane and Sarah Gasperini at Jackson Lewis.

  • Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits

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    Two recent decisions from California federal courts regarding novel Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims around 401(k) forfeitures provide early tea leaves for companies that may face similar litigation, offering reasons for both optimism and concern over the future direction of the law, say Ashley Johnson and Jennafer Tryck at Gibson Dunn.

  • Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases

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    A California federal court recently dismissed Ramos v. Comerica, finding that the allegations failed to establish loss causation, but the reasoning is in tension with the pleading-stage approaches generally followed by both courts and economists in securities fraud litigation, say Jesse Jensen and Aasiya Glover at Bernstein Litowitz.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Accidental Death Ruling Shows ERISA Review Standard's Pull

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    The Eleventh Circuit’s recent accidental death insurance ruling in Goldfarb v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance illustrates how an arbitrary and capricious standard of review in Employee Retirement Income Security Act denial-of-benefits cases creates a steep uphill battle for benefit claimants, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • 50 Years Later, ERISA Remains A Work In Progress

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    A look at the 50 years since the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s passage shows that while the law safeguards benefits through vesting rules, fiduciary responsibilities and anti-discrimination provisions, the act falls short in three key areas, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

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