ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Benefits

  • July 02, 2025

    Wisconsin High Court Narrowly Blocks 1849 Abortion Ban

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowly struck down an 1849 statute criminalizing abortion, finding that the law has been effectively replaced by more modern legislation regulating the procedure.

  • July 01, 2025

    Iowa Judge Halts Law Targeting Pharmacy Benefit Managers

    A federal judge in Des Moines has temporarily blocked an Iowa law regulating pharmacy benefit managers, delivering a significant victory to a coalition of local businesses that argued the statute overstepped federal authority and infringed on free speech.

  • July 01, 2025

    The Sharpest Dissents From The Supreme Court Term

    The term's sharpest dissents often looked beyond perceived flaws in majority reasoning to raise existential concerns about the role and future of the court, with the justices accusing one another of rewarding executive branch lawlessness, harming faith in the judiciary and threatening democracy, sometimes on an emergency basis with little briefing or explanation.

  • July 01, 2025

    Lighting Co. Can't Escape 401(k) Forfeiture, Health Fee Suit

    An Illinois federal judge narrowed a proposed federal benefits class action against an automotive lighting company from an ex-worker, but allowed allegations to proceed to discovery alleging the company misspent 401(k) forfeitures and failed to properly notify workers about a health plan tobacco surcharge.

  • July 01, 2025

    Justices Face Busy Summer After Nixing Universal Injunctions

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit nationwide injunctions was one of its biggest rulings of the term — a finding the court is likely going to be dealing with all summer. Here, Law360 takes a look at the decision, how it and other cases on the emergency docket overshadowed much of the court's other work, and what it all means for the months to come.

  • July 01, 2025

    Mass. Justices Affirm Insurers Can Tap Workers' Comp Fund

    Insurers who have stopped writing workers' compensation policies but are still paying on older claims in Massachusetts are entitled to partial reimbursement from a state trust fund created to offset the higher costs of covering some individuals, because the money comes from employers rather than the insurers, the state's highest court concluded on Tuesday.

  • July 01, 2025

    Amazon Escapes Worker's Military Leave Suit

    A former Amazon employee cannot show that she was fired because she requested to take military leave or because she needed to care for her son, a New York federal judge ruled, saying she can't rebut the company's argument that she was fired for violating security protocol.

  • July 01, 2025

    Anthem Inks $13M Deal To End Mental Health Class Action

    Anthem has agreed to pay about $12.9 million to end a proposed class action alleging the insurer's coverage denials for inpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatments violated federal benefits and mental health parity laws, according to New York federal court filings.

  • June 30, 2025

    9th Circ. Nixes Suit Against Allianz Over $6B Fraud Sentence

    A man can't bring securities fraud claims against Allianz SE after one of the German financial services giant's former businesses pled guilty to investment fund fraud and was ordered to pay roughly $6 billion, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding he failed to sufficiently allege Allianz SE itself acted fraudulently.

  • June 30, 2025

    NRA Pushes To Move Florida Lobbyist's Suit To Virginia Court

    The National Rifle Association has asked a Florida federal court to transfer its former longtime lobbyist's lawsuit alleging wrongful use of her image out of state, arguing that she previously agreed to bring any legal actions involving the parties to courts in Virginia.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Won't Disturb 10th Circ. Oklahoma PBM Law Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the state of Oklahoma's challenge to a Tenth Circuit decision that found parts of a recently enacted law regulating pharmacy benefit managers were preempted by federal benefits laws and Medicare Part D, cementing an industry group's win in the case.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Undo Patients' Win In Gender-Affirming Care Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Fourth Circuit decision that preserved access to gender-affirming care under two state-run health plans, telling the lower court to consider a recent decision by the justices that upheld a Tennessee law limiting treatments for young transgender people.

  • June 30, 2025

    High Court Wants Feds' Input On Parker-Hannifin 401(k) Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court asked for the U.S. solicitor general's take Monday on the Sixth Circuit's decision to revive a proposed class action alleging Parker-Hannifin Corp. mismanaged a 401(k) plan, seeking the government's view on the pleading standard for a claim that investment choices breached fiduciary duties.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Will Review Union Fund's Withdrawal Liability Math

    The U.S. Supreme Court took up a fight Monday over the correct way to calculate how much employers must pay when they withdraw from multiemployer retirement plans, granting an employer-side petition for review of a D.C. Circuit decision favoring a machinists' union.

  • June 27, 2025

    Fed Circ. Passes On VA, Veteran Dispute Over GI Bill Benefits

    A three-judge Federal Circuit panel said it lacked jurisdiction to step into an ongoing GI Bill dispute as a long-serving veteran challenges an education benefits denial that purportedly flies in the face of a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down last year.

  • June 27, 2025

    Google Fired Worker For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Claims

    A former Google employee said she was discriminated against and fired for taking approved medical leave, according to a lawsuit filed in Washington state court.

  • June 27, 2025

    Contractor Must Face OT Suit Over Fringe Benefits Payments

    A federal contractor cannot escape a lawsuit accusing it of failing to include cash in lieu of benefits payments in overtime pay calculations, a California federal judge ruled, saying the firm failed to show that the fringe benefits payments should be exempt from the regular rate of pay.

  • June 27, 2025

    DC Judge Says Teen Health Projects Can 'Shutter' Temporarily

    Five Planned Parenthood affiliates will not be irreparably harmed by changes to federal guidance for teen health programs instructing grantees to demonstrate alignment with executive orders from the Trump administration rejecting transgender identity and diversity programs, a D.C. federal judge has ruled.

  • June 27, 2025

    3 DOL Policy Shifts On Benefits Attys' Radar

    Since President Donald Trump's administration took over in January, the U.S. Department of Labor has changed its tack on several issues related to employee benefits. Here, Law360 looks at three moves that caught lawyers' attention.

  • June 27, 2025

    Justices Back Task Force That Sets ACA Care Requirements

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' secretary had authority over a preventive care task force, rejecting a constitutional challenge to an Affordable Care Act clause that requires health insurers to cover certain treatments at no cost to patients.

  • June 26, 2025

    Bayer Investors' $38M Settlement Over Monsanto Deal OK'd

    A California federal judge on Thursday preliminarily approved Bayer AG's $38 million settlement with investors who accused the German multinational of downplaying litigation risks related to the weedkiller Roundup when it acquired Monsanto in 2018, saying the deal appeared to be "fair, reasonable and adequate."

  • June 26, 2025

    SEC Members Hint At Curtailing CEO Pay Disclosure Rules

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Republican majority Thursday expressed support for paring back disclosures requiring publicly traded companies to compare CEO pay to that of the median worker as well as reporting requirements that detail how executive pay stands up to financial performance.

  • June 26, 2025

    No Work Needed For Military Leave Pay, Wash. Justices Say

    Washington state public employees are entitled to paid military leave even if they are not scheduled to work because they are on active duty during an extended military leave of absence, the state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying the state's paid military leave statute is unambiguous.

  • June 26, 2025

    Natixis Beats Suit Claiming Self-Serving Funds Hurt Its 401(k)

    Natixis defeated a 1,200-member class action Thursday claiming the French investment firm burdened its retirement plan with funds that performed poorly and benefited the company over employees, after a Massachusetts federal judge ruled the case lacked evidence of actionable lapses.

  • June 26, 2025

    Judge Tosses Biogen MS Drug Antitrust Suit, For Now

    An Illinois federal court tossed a proposed class action accusing Biogen of reducing competition for its multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera through payments to pharmacy benefit managers, after finding that only some drug pricing lists would have been affected.

Expert Analysis

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

    Author Photo

    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

    Author Photo

    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

    Author Photo

    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

    Author Photo

    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

    Author Photo

    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • 2 Rulings Show How Courts Assess Health Benefit Denials

    Author Photo

    Two recent decisions from federal appeals courts offer important insights into how courts are assessing denials of health benefit claims brought under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, including guidance on how plan administrators should evaluate claims and what documents must be disclosed, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

    Author Photo

    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Mental Health Parity Rules: Tips For Plans And Issuers

    Author Photo

    Following federal agencies' release of final mental health parity rules, plan sponsors and health insurance issuers should develop protocols for preparing compliant nonquantitative treatment limitation comparative analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

    Author Photo

    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys

    Author Photo

    Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.

  • Opinion

    FTC's Report Criticizing Drug Middlemen Is Flawed

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's July report, which claims that pharmacy benefit managers are inflating drug costs, does not offer a credible analysis of PBMs, and its methodology lacks rigor, says Jay Ezrielev at Elevecon.

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Plan Sponsors Must Prep For New Mental Health, Drug Rules

    Author Photo

    To comply with newly published health insurance rules requiring parity between access to mental health and substance use services compared to medical and surgical services, employers with self-insured plans will need to update third-party administrator agreements and collect data, among other compliance steps, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.

  • How Cos. Can Protect Supply Chains During The Port Strike

    Author Photo

    With dock workers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts launching a strike that will likely cause severe supply chain disruptions, there are several steps exporters and importers can take to protect their businesses and mitigate increased costs, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

    Author Photo

    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

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.