Benefits

  • December 22, 2025

    Supreme Court Halts Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Union Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court stayed a Third Circuit order Monday that had required the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to bargain in good faith with its newsroom workers' union and rescind changes to their healthcare and working conditions, pressing pause on an order that ended a three-year strike at the paper.

  • December 22, 2025

    6th Circ. Vacates Pharma Salesman's $6.8M Restitution Order

    The Sixth Circuit vacated a nearly $7 million restitution order against a pharmaceutical salesman convicted of healthcare fraud, finding an Ohio federal court erred in calculating that amount and apportioning liability.

  • December 22, 2025

    3rd Circ. Permits DOL To Back Honeywell In 401(k) Suit

    The U.S. Department of Labor can file a friend-of-court brief supporting Honeywell's position in a worker's fight to revive a proposed class action alleging the company violated federal benefits law, the Third Circuit said Monday.

  • December 22, 2025

    Nationwide Gets Partial Early Win In 401(k) Class Action

    An Ohio federal judge on Monday granted Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. a quick win on some claims in a class action from employee 401(k) plan participants who alleged mismanagement, but directed the parties to prepare for a bench trial on other claims in the federal benefits lawsuit.

  • December 19, 2025

    Del. Justices Reinstate Elon Musk's $56B-Plus Pay Package

    Elon Musk saw his once-$56 billion, now larger, Tesla Inc. compensation package rescued Friday, as the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling from January 2024 that voided a board and stockholder-approved pay deal.

  • December 19, 2025

    Aluminum Biz's ESOP Managers Settle Workers' ERISA Fight

    The son of an Indiana-based aluminum manufacturing company's founder and his attorney have decided to settle a dispute from workers alleging the individuals mismanaged their employee stock ownership plan, parties told a federal court Friday. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Geico Agents Secure Some Discovery In Misclassification Suit

    Geico must produce more information related to a retaliation claim and the authenticity and completeness of its retirement and welfare plans in a suit lodged by former agents alleging the insurer denied them benefits by misclassifying them as independent contractors, an Ohio federal judge ruled.

  • December 19, 2025

    Live Nation 401(k) Suit Arbitration In Calif. Gets Redo

    A California federal judge agreed to reconsider his order from 2023 requiring arbitration of some claims in a federal benefits suit from Live Nation workers alleging excessive fees in their employee 401(k) plan after the Ninth Circuit had remanded the case in August.

  • December 19, 2025

    The 6 Biggest Rulings By Massachusetts' Top Court In 2025

    Massachusetts' top court rejected a novel double jeopardy claim in a headline-grabbing murder case, revived claims against Harvard over a "ghoulish" scheme, and said a Snapchat Bitmoji could show police bias, among other significant rulings this year.

  • December 18, 2025

    Split 6th Circ. Blocks Michigan's Ban On Conversion Therapy

    A split Sixth Circuit panel ordered an injunction on Michigan's conversion therapy ban, ruling the law likely places an unconstitutional restriction on the First Amendment rights of a Catholic charitable organization and a therapist whose faith-based psychotherapy practices fall under the ban.

  • December 18, 2025

    InnovAge Investors Get Final OK For $27M Deal, Atty Fees

    A Colorado federal judge has granted final approval to a $27 million settlement between InnovAge Holding Corp., its underwriters and a class of stockholders accusing the senior healthcare company of making misleading statements in an initial public offering that later caused stock prices to tank after a government audit exposed the alleged falsehoods.

  • December 18, 2025

    7th Circ. Declines To Stay Alcoa Life Insurance Injunction

    An injunction ordering aluminum producer Alcoa USA Corp. to reinstate certain retirees' life insurance benefits will remain active while the company appeals the underlying decision, the Seventh Circuit held Thursday, denying Alcoa's motion to stay the injunction.

  • December 18, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Force Aramark To Arbitrate Aetna ERISA Suit

    Aetna cannot force food services company Aramark to arbitrate allegations the insurer cost it millions of dollars by approving shoddy health benefit claims, a split Fifth Circuit panel affirmed Thursday, saying the parties' agreement doesn't clearly delegate arbitrability to an arbitrator and the claims seek equitable, not legal, relief.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Opinion

    SEC Should Restore Its 2020 Proxy Adviser Rule

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    Due to concerns over proxy advisers' accuracy, reliability and transparency, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should reinstate its 2020 rule designed to suppress the influence that they wield in shareholder voting, says Kyle Isakower at the American Council for Capital Formation.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • What Dismissal Rulings May Mean For ERISA Forfeiture Cases

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    Following an influx of Employee Retirement Income Security Act class actions challenging the long-standing practice of plan sponsors using plan forfeitures to offset employer contributions, recent motion to dismiss rulings and a U.S. Department of Labor amicus brief may encourage more courts to reject plaintiffs' forfeiture theories, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Justices' Decision Axing Retiree's ADA Claim Offers Clarity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's holding in Stanley v. City of Sanford that protections under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act don't extend to retirees potentially limits liability by giving employers additional support to challenge complaints, and highlights the need for proactive policy management to mitigate risk, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • DOJ-HHS Collab Crystallizes Focus On Health Enforcement

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    The recently announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat False Claims Act violations, following a multiyear trend of high-dollar DOJ recoveries, signals a long-term enforcement horizon with major implications for healthcare entities and whistleblowers, say attorneys at RJO.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Lessons On Parallel Settlements From Vanguard Class Action

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    A Pennsylvania federal judge’s unexpected denial of a proposed $40 million settlement of an investor class action against Vanguard highlights key factors parties should consider when settlement involves both regulators and civil plaintiffs, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • 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.

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