Benefits

  • August 11, 2025

    Split 8th Circ. Revives Minn. Suit Over Union Leave

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday revived a First Amendment challenge to a Minnesota school district policy that allows teachers to take paid leave to work for their union, saying the district spending public funds on benefits for teachers engaged in political actions gave residents standing to sue as taxpayers.

  • August 11, 2025

    Nike Investors Say Biz Strategy Was 'Ticking Timebomb'

    Shareholders suing Nike Inc. over what they say was a failed business strategy responded Monday to a motion to dismiss the proposed class action, arguing that they have 19 confidential witnesses who can prove that the company painted an overly rosy picture of its prospective growth. 

  • August 08, 2025

    DC Medicaid Recipients Win Class Cert. For Notice Row

    A D.C. federal judge granted a class certification motion lodged by a group of Medicaid beneficiaries who allege the district has violated their due process rights by failing to provide individualized written notices explaining prescription coverage denials and appeal rights.

  • August 08, 2025

    PPG Wins ERISA Life Insurance Fight After 4th Circ. Remand

    A West Virginia federal judge on Friday handed a win to PPG Industries Inc. in a dispute over retiree life insurance, ruling after a bench trial that the paint and coatings company was allowed to use a merger to transfer benefit management to an entity that later terminated coverage.

  • August 08, 2025

    Iowa PBM Law Challengers Seek Wider Block At 8th Circ.

    Employers and benefit plans challenging an Iowa law aiming to limit pharmacy benefit managers' power to set drug prices will seek Eighth Circuit review of a district court judge's decision from July that temporarily blocked parts of the new policy as preempted by federal benefits law.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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."

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress

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    As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • How Expanded Birth Control Coverage May Affect Employers

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    Employers should consider the potential impact of recently proposed regulations that would expand group health plans' required coverage of preventive services and contraceptives, including questions about how the agencies would implement their plans to eliminate the prescription requirement and alter the exceptions process, says Jennifer Rigterink at Proskauer.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Insurance Industry Impacts If DOL Fiduciary Rule Is Revived

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    If implemented following an ongoing appeal at the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule expanding the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's definition of "fiduciary" could chill insurance agents’ and brokers' ability to sell annuities, and lead to an increase in breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Nvidia Case's Potential Impact On Securities Class Actions

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    In Nvidia v. Ohman Fonder, the U.S. Supreme Court could strip lower courts of their long-standing ability and obligation to holistically weigh all relevant facts supporting plaintiffs' allegations of securities fraud, which would have a wide-ranging impact on securities fraud class actions in the U.S., say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Short-Seller Implications Of 10th Circ.'s Overstock Decision

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    The Tenth Circuit's Oct. 15 decision in Overstock Securities Litigation provides clarity on the pleading standard for a market manipulation claim under the Exchange Act, and suggests that short sellers might not be able to rely on the fraud-on-the-market presumption typically invoked by securities plaintiffs, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

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