April 13, 2026
Symetra Life Insurance Co. will pay $44.4 million to end multidistrict litigation from a class of African Methodist Episcopal Church workers who alleged that mismanagement of their annuity retirement plan allowed a rogue employee to embezzle $90 million, according to filings in Tennessee federal court.
February 12, 2026
Symetra Life Insurance Co. has agreed to settle claims in a multidistrict litigation from a class of African Methodist Episcopal Church workers who alleged that mismanagement of their annuity retirement plan allowed a rogue employee to embezzle $90 million, although the agreement doesn't resolve the insurers' cross-claims against the church.
March 05, 2025
The African Methodist Episcopal Church and a retirement plan manager will pay a combined $60 million to resolve claims that they failed to prevent a rogue church employee from embezzling nearly $90 million from its retirement plan, according to a filing in Tennessee federal court.
December 16, 2024
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has agreed to pay $20 million to resolve a suit claiming it failed to step in when an employee embezzled $90 million from its retirement plan, according to a Tennessee federal court filing seeking an initial green light on the deal.
November 27, 2024
The African Methodist Episcopal Church and employees who alleged the church and its investment providers failed to prevent a rogue employee from embezzling $90 million from their retirement plan asked a Tennessee federal court to dismiss claims against two bishops in the case, citing a settlement reached earlier this year.
June 05, 2023
The African Methodist Episcopal Church urged a Tennessee federal judge to throw out an insurance company's claim that the church wrongly labeled the insurer as a retirement plan fiduciary, saying the dispute belongs in arbitration instead of the $90 million multidistrict litigation brought by AME workers.
March 20, 2023
A Tennessee federal judge dismissed claims under federal benefits law from multidistrict litigation brought by African Methodist Episcopal Church pastors and employees who allege more than $90 million was stolen from their retirement plan, but preserved many state law allegations in the sprawling class action.
December 09, 2022
An administrator of the African Methodist Episcopal Church's retirement plan says the church is attempting to blame it for the church's own mismanagement of a pastor who allegedly embezzled $90 million from the plan.
August 22, 2022
A group of pastors amended their suit alleging that the African Methodist Episcopal Church's retirement fund is missing over $90 million in assets, adding claims that the church's "catastrophic failure" to properly oversee the fund violates federal benefits law.
July 29, 2022
The Fifth Circuit will soon hear arguments from the federal government and religious groups battling over an injunction protecting religious medical providers that assert faith-based objections from having to perform abortions or gender-transition surgery, or cover those procedures for employees.