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Benefits
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August 08, 2025
X Says Former Employee Was Fired For Misconduct
A former X employee was fired after writing on Slack about a "kill command" that could have turned off the website, according to the social media company, telling a California federal court that his Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act suit can't stand.
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August 08, 2025
Attys Seek Final OK Of $100M Walgreens Rx Cost Settlement
An Illinois federal judge should greenlight a $100 million settlement to claims that Walgreens overcharged insured customers for generic prescription drugs, the plaintiffs' attorneys said, asking the judge to wrap up the 8-year-old consumer protection litigation.
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August 08, 2025
Rising Star: Athlaw's Sam Katz
Samuel Katz founded Athlaw LLP after graduating from law school and spent the next decade building it into a powerhouse, filing the first proposed class action against the NFL's disability benefit plan to beat dismissal and earning a spot among the benefits law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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August 07, 2025
2nd Circ. Says Trial Atty With Brain Disease Not 'Ineffective'
The Second Circuit on Thursday affirmed the convictions of a former New York City law enforcement union president along with its ex-financial adviser for defrauding members out of $500,000, rejecting among contentions that one defense lawyer's abilities were impaired at trial by a fast-moving neurodegenerative disease.
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August 07, 2025
BioPharma Co.'s $15M Deal Over Ruined J&J Vaccines OK'd
A Maryland federal judge on Thursday granted final approval to a $15 million settlement to close out a stockholder derivative suit claiming Emergent BioSolutions Inc. and its top brass made a mint selling stock before their allegedly lax oversight led to the contamination of over 15 million Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine doses.
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August 07, 2025
Worker Says Property Firm Fired Her Over Medical Diagnosis
A property management firm has been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was discriminated against and eventually fired after being diagnosed with ovarian fibroids requiring a hysterectomy and hernia repair.
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August 07, 2025
Michigan AG Fights Bid To Pause PBM Price-Fixing Suit
Michigan's attorney general has said there is no reason to pause her price-fixing suit against pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics for a pending dismissal motion, urging a federal judge not to put discovery on ice.
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August 07, 2025
10th Circ. Upholds Okla. Law Banning Trans Care For Minors
The Tenth Circuit declined to block an Oklahoma law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, ruling that a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion backing a similar law from Tennessee undermines state residents' claims that the statute is discriminatory.
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August 07, 2025
Anthem Seeks Exit From Lab's $3.8M Insurance Suit
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut again asked a federal judge to let it out of a lab's $3.8 million suit alleging the company failed to pay 3,000 insurance claims for medical tests, arguing that the lab's second amended complaint didn't make up for the deficiencies that got most of the first one dismissed.
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August 07, 2025
2nd Circ. Axes Challenge To Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
In a published opinion Thursday, the Second Circuit turned away Boehringer Ingelheim's constitutional and administrative challenge to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, finding that the program is voluntary and it was lawfully implemented under the Inflation Reduction Act.
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August 07, 2025
Rising Star: Skadden's Mary E. Grinman
Mary E. Grinman of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has defended several large employers in proposed class actions alleging retirement plan mismanagement, including Liberty Mutual and JPMorgan, earning her a spot among benefits practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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August 07, 2025
Trump Greenlights Private Equity, Crypto 401(k) Investing
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that aims to make it easier for retirement plans to invest in a wider range of assets, including cryptocurrency, private equity and real estate.
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August 07, 2025
7th Circ. Backs $75M In Chicken Price-Fixing Settlements
The Seventh Circuit rejected an appeal from restaurants challenging $75 million in settlements inked in the broiler chicken price-fixing litigation with Koch Foods Inc. and House of Raeford Farms Inc., after finding an analysis of prices failed to show the deals were unreasonable.
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August 07, 2025
Vanguard, Investors Agree To Settle After Axed $40M Tax Deal
Vanguard and investors have reached a second deal in a suit over allegations of surprise tax bills from a fund restructuring after a Pennsylvania federal judge scrapped a previous settlement in which the class would have fetched $40 million, the parties said Thursday.
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August 07, 2025
Alcoa Can't Stop Order Reinstating Retirees' Lifetime Benefits
Alcoa USA Corp. lost its bid to pause an injunction reinstating lifetime healthcare benefits for a class of unionized retirees, their surviving spouses and dependents, with an Indiana federal judge finding the Seventh Circuit is likely to uphold the lower court's reasoning.
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August 07, 2025
Mass. High Court Affirms $1M Pension Loss For OT Fraud
The forfeiture of $1 million in pension and health benefits following a Massachusetts state trooper's conviction in an overtime fraud scheme is not so grossly disproportionate to the offense that it violates the state constitution's prohibition on excessive fines, Massachusetts' highest court concluded on Thursday.
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August 07, 2025
Defense Cos. Get Forfeiture Claims Cut From 401(k) Suit
A Kansas federal judge largely declined to toss two ex-workers' claims that defense contractors improperly retained costly investment options in their retirement plans but threw out allegations that the companies violated federal benefits law by using forfeited plan funds to cover their contribution obligations.
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August 06, 2025
6th Circ. Rips 'Stalking Horse' Ploy In Drug Negotiation Suit
The pharmaceutical industry will feel the sting of a Wednesday loss in a wide-ranging war over Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices, as the Sixth Circuit tossed a suit and accused one major company of utilizing a "stalking horse" to sue in a more favorable forum.
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August 06, 2025
6th Circ. Orders Redo Of Pension Fund Withdrawal Liability
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday said a pension fund's actuary must redo his estimate of a Michigan-based paving company's withdrawal liability, likening the actuary to an oddsmaker giving a bad estimate of how many points a college basketball team will give up in a game because he is "just rude."
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
It's Time To Fix The SEC's Pay-To-Play Rule
Nearly 15 years after its adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's pay-to-play rule is not working as intended — a notion recently echoed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce — and the commission should reconsider the strict liability standard, raise the campaign contribution limits and remove the look-back provision, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy
This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.
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A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright ruling created a twilight zone between express statutory delegations that trigger agency deference and implicit ones that do not, but the Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Moctezuma-Reyes v. Garland crafted a two-part test for resolving cases within this gray area, say attorneys at Wiley.
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7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments
Excerpt from
As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.
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Series
Playing Beach Volleyball Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My commitment to beach volleyball has become integral to my performance as an attorney, with the sport continually reminding me that teamwork, perseverance, professionalism and stress management are essential to both undertakings, says Amy Drushal at Trenam.
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How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic
The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.
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Potential Impacts Of IRS' $1M Affiliate Pay Deduction Cap
If finalized, a recent Internal Revenue Service proposal expanding Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code to include the highly compensated employees of affiliates would make tracking which executives may be subject to the limit from year to year far more complex, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
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BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG
In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.
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Series
Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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Partially Faulting Airline For 401(k) ESG Focus Belies ERISA
A Texas federal court's recent finding that American Airlines breached its fiduciary duty of loyalty, but not of prudence, by letting its 401(k) pursue environmental, social and governance investments, misinterprets the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's standard of care, says Jeff Mamorsky, a Cohen & Buckmann partner and ERISA drafter.