Benefits

  • December 18, 2025

    Ex-NFL Player Can't Keep $1.9M Atty Fees, 5th Circ. Rules

    Former NFL player Michael Cloud was not owed attorney fees by the NFL's retirement plan from his attempt to attain disability benefits, the Fifth Circuit said Thursday, dealing Cloud another defeat after a previous court victory was reversed.

  • December 18, 2025

    HHS Proposes Hospital Ban On Gender Care For Minors

    The Trump administration moved to block all hospitals that receive federal funding from providing gender-affirming care to minors and issued warning letters to a dozen companies Thursday as part of a sweeping push to halt the care nationwide, even in states with legal protections in place.

  • December 18, 2025

    Ex-NJ Judge's Firing Suit Revived After Discovery Cured

    A New Jersey state judge on Thursday revived a former Garden State workers' compensation judge's suit alleging she was unconstitutionally removed from her job, ruling over the state's objections that she has now substantially complied with the state's discovery requests.

  • December 18, 2025

    AT&T Worker Takes 401(k) Forfeiture Suit To 9th Circ.

    An AT&T worker has turned to the Ninth Circuit after a California federal judge spiked his proposed class action alleging that the telecom giant misspent employee 401(k) plan forfeitures. 

  • December 17, 2025

    Lighting Co. Strikes Deal In 401(k) Forfeiture, Tobacco Fee Suit

    An automotive lighting company told an Illinois federal court Wednesday that it has settled an ex-worker's proposed class action claiming the business mismanaged forfeited 401(k) funds and failed to inform workers who used tobacco how to avoid paying an extra health plan fee.

  • December 17, 2025

    Braidwood Asks For Judgment In ACA Preventive Care Fight

    Christian-owned, for-profit management company Braidwood Management Inc. asked a Texas federal judge Tuesday to end its challenge to an Affordable Care Act provision that requires coverage of lung cancer screenings and preexposure prophylaxis for HIV/AIDS, citing a U.S. Supreme Court finding upholding the provision.

  • December 17, 2025

    Doctors Not Harmed By CDC's Vaccine Guidance, Feds Say

    The federal government argued Wednesday that doctors lack standing to challenge the overhaul of a key federal vaccine committee that has since downgraded the COVID-19 shot, saying healthcare providers haven't been harmed by the policy shifts.

  • December 17, 2025

    6th Circ. Revives NJ Drivers' Wage Action Against Hub Group

    Two drivers alleging that logistics company Hub Group misclassified them as independent contractors have no connection to Tennessee, the Sixth Circuit ruled, departing from a Tennessee federal court's decision that found their suit under New Jersey law couldn't stand.

  • December 17, 2025

    Adderall Telehealth Startup Indicted After CEO's Conviction

    A San Francisco grand jury has indicted California telehealth startup Done Global, alleging it had a role in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that involved submitting false claims to government health programs and distributing $100 million in Adderall and other drugs through subscription services, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. 

  • December 16, 2025

    DOD To Reevaluate Discharges Over COVID Vax Refusal

    The U.S. Department of Defense said on Tuesday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a reevaluation of the discharge status of service members who were involuntarily removed from the military after they refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 

  • December 16, 2025

    4 Big Benefits Policy Moves From 2025's 2nd Half

    President Donald Trump signed an order aimed at expanding retirement plans' access to investing in a wider range of assets in 401(k) plans, while the government hit the brakes on the previous administration's effort to expand the definition of who is a fiduciary under federal benefits law. Here are four significant policy moves from the latter half of 2025 that benefits attorneys should know. 

  • December 16, 2025

    United Airlines Kept Shoddy Fund In $11.8B 401(k), Suit Says

    United Airlines shirked federal benefits law by allowing an underperforming investment fund to weigh down its $11.8 billion retirement plan, according to a proposed class action a worker filed in Illinois federal court Tuesday.

  • December 16, 2025

    $1.4M Deal In Workers' 401(k) Fee Suit Gets Initial OK

    A California federal judge gave initial approval to a $1.4 million settlement that would end claims that security firm Allied Universal levied excessive fees on its workers' retirement accounts.

  • December 16, 2025

    WorldQuant Predictive Technologies Sues Ex-CEO, Lawyer

    The ousted CEO of WorldQuant Predictive Technologies LLC and his attorney brought vexatious lawsuits against the company as part of an effort to dodge an arbitrator's $691,000 award in favor of the AI-driven business solutions provider, the company says in a lawsuit in Connecticut state court.

  • December 16, 2025

    Hospital Owners Sue HHS Over Medicare Payment Rule

    Allina Health System and other nonprofit hospital owners have sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, telling a D.C. federal judge it unlawfully enacted a rule that will cause safety-net hospitals to lose out on billions of dollars of Medicare payments.

  • December 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Honeywell Over Engineer's Retaliation Claims

    The Ninth Circuit rejected an ex-Honeywell engineer's challenge to her firing after voicing concerns about avionic software that was part of a Boeing defense contract, finding any potential fraud to the government was too far removed to support a retaliation claim.

  • December 15, 2025

    Connecticut 'Likely' To Settle Generic Drug Price Cap Dispute

    A pharmaceutical industry trade group and the state of Connecticut have signaled their intent to settle a feud over the interpretation of the state's generic drug price cap law, and a federal judge gave them until Monday to say more about their plan.

  • December 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Rejects ESOP Managers' Individual Arbitration Push

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday backed a court's decision to keep a lawsuit in Georgia federal court alleging a legal technology company's employee stock ownership plan shares were undervalued in a plan termination, holding that an arbitration provision was unenforceable because it blocked rights under federal benefits law.

  • December 15, 2025

    Judge Exits ESOP Suit Against BDO, Citing His Wife's Tie

    A Massachusetts federal judge recused himself from a proposed class action alleging that accounting giant BDO USA and company executives sold stock at an inflated price to an employee stock ownership plan in a $1.3 billion deal, citing his wife's financial interest in a company involved in the case.

  • December 15, 2025

    High Court Won't Hear Illinois County's ADA Back Pay Appeal

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined an invitation Monday from Cook County, Illinois, to review a Seventh Circuit ruling that said a former corrections officer can seek back pay after winning a disability discrimination verdict.

  • December 12, 2025

    Fired MSPB Member Urges Full DC Circ. To Rehear Case

    A D.C. Circuit panel based its decision to uphold Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris' firing on a mischaracterization of the agency, Harris argued Friday to the full D.C. Circuit, asking the en banc court to override the decision, bring her back to work and preserve MSPB members' job protections.

  • December 12, 2025

    Mich. High Court Backs Rejection Of Farmwork Comp Suit

    A closely divided Michigan Supreme Court on Friday let stand a lower appellate court holding that a nonprofit's legal challenge to a state policy denying workers' compensation pay to unauthorized immigrants was filed too late.

  • December 12, 2025

    Printing Co. Defends Trial Win In $265M ESOP Sale Dispute

    A printing company's directors and employee stock ownership plan trustee say the Seventh Circuit should back their win over accusations they illegally undersold the company into private equity for $265 million, arguing the trial court correctly decided their interests were "perfectly aligned" with plan participants' interests.

  • December 12, 2025

    Delta Retirees' Pension Dispute Paused For Mediation Efforts

    A Nevada federal judge Thursday froze a proposed class action accusing Delta Air Lines Inc. of shorting married pensioners on retirement benefits by miscalculating lump-sum payouts, giving the airline and the former workers behind the suit a chance to try and reach a deal. 

  • December 12, 2025

    Sherwin-Williams Flicks Tobacco Fee Suit To Arbitration

    An Ohio federal judge refused Friday to toss a proposed class action from two Sherwin-Williams ex-workers who alleged an employee health plan tobacco surcharge violated nondiscrimination provisions in federal benefits law, finding while one claim could proceed in court, the dispute should first head to arbitration.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • FCA Working Group Reboot Signals EHR Compliance Risk

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    The revival of the False Claims Act working group is an aggressive expansion of enforcement efforts by the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services targeted toward technology-enabled fraud involving electronic health records and other data, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Arguing The 8th Amendment For Reduction In FCA Penalties

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    While False Claims Act decisions lack consistency in how high the judgment-to-damages ratio in such cases can be before it becomes unconstitutional, defense counsel should cite the Eighth Amendment's excessive fines clause in pre-trial settlement negotiations, and seek penalty decreases in post-judgment motions and on appeal, says Scott Grubman at Chilivis Grubman.

  • $95M Caremark Verdict Should Put PBMs On Notice

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    A Pennsylvania federal judge’s recent ruling that pharmacy benefits manager CVS Caremark owes the government $95 million for overbilling Medicare Part D-sponsored drugs highlights the effectiveness of the False Claims Act, as scrutiny of PBMs’ outsized role in setting drug prices continues to increase, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • How Latest High Court Rulings Refine Employment Law

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    The 2024-2025 U.S. Supreme Court term did not radically rewrite employment law, but sharpened focus on textual fidelity, procedural rigor and the boundaries of statutory relief, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • What Employers Can Learn From Axed Mo. Sick Leave Law

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    Missouri's recent passage and brisk repeal of Proposition A, which would have created a paid sick time benefit for employees, serves as a case study for employers, highlighting the steps they can take to adapt as paid sick leave laws are increasingly debated across the country, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

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