3M Must Face Suit Challenging Retirement Plans' Fund Lineup

By Patrick Hoff

3M can't avoid a proposed class action alleging its failure to nix underperforming investment options from its $12.4 billion retirement plans cost workers tens of millions of dollars, with a Minnesota judge ruling Tuesday that the workers' allegations identified a comparable fund that performed better.

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Industrial Retailer Settles Ex-Workers' 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday agreed to stay a proposed class action against industrial retailer W.W. Grainger from ex-workers who alleged the company misspent forfeitures from an employee 401(k) plan, after parties told the court they had settled their dispute.

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Plumbing Co. To Pay $13.75M To End ESOP Suit

By Patrick Hoff

A plumbing subcontracting company will pay $13.75 million to settle workers' class action alleging its co-founders sold company shares to an employee stock ownership plan at an inflated price and later repurchased them for far less, according to a filing in California federal court.

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CSX Settles FMLA Retaliation Suit Over Holiday Leave

By Grace Elletson

CSX Transportation Inc. has agreed to settle a suit from three workers who claimed they were illegally suspended or fired after they were falsely accused of misusing medical leave to take holidays off, according to a filing Tuesday in Maryland federal court.

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Worker Says Meijer Can't Duck Suit Over Tobacco Use Fee

By Susan Smiley

A Meijer grocery store worker on Monday urged a Michigan federal judge not to dismiss his proposed class action saying the Midwestern chain violated federal benefits laws when it imposed a tobacco use surcharge on its employees without properly communicating how the fee could be avoided or refunded.

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Objectors Sink $148M Lincoln National Class Deal At 2nd Circ.

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut federal judge should not have certified a policyholder class that secured a $147.5 million cost-of-insurance settlement with Lincoln National and a Cigna unit, the Second Circuit held on Tuesday, in a victory for objectors who are pursuing parallel cases in other states.

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Cognizant Investor Seeks OK For $5.5M Derivative Case Deal

By Sarah Jarvis

A Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. shareholder has urged a New Jersey federal court to give its final approval for a $5.5 million deal to settle derivative claims that board members of the technology and consulting services company damaged the company and exposed it to liability by paying bribes in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

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UPS Says Driver's Colo. Sick Leave Claim Is Moot After Pay

By Zach Dupont

UPS has told a Colorado federal judge that the driver pursuing a proposed class action over paid-sick-leave violations can't win his bid for partial summary judgment because he isn't owed any money for sick leave, according to UPS's response brief to the driver's motion. 

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Navigating The Limits Of Calif. Justices' Public Pension Ruling

Despite the California Supreme Court's recent holding that counties and cities wield discretion over classification and salary decisions for their public retirement board staff, it is important to remember that such authority is not unchecked as unreasonable rejections remain subject to judicial review, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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How Does In-House Pay Compare? Take The Law360 Survey

How do in-house salaries vary across industries, roles, and organizational revenue? What compensation tools are companies using to lure top talent? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Compensation Survey.

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9th Circ. Would Lose 5 States In Latest Reorganization Bid

By Courtney Bublé

Republicans are once again trying to break up the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which has long been dominated by judges appointed by Democratic presidents.

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Goldstein Unveils Cooley Appeal Team

By Jared Foretek

Thomas Goldstein has unveiled an experienced lineup of appellate lawyers he'll turn to in his bid to overturn 12 tax and mortgage fraud convictions, featuring several attorneys with extensive U.S. Supreme Court experience.

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Texas Firm Withdraws From $150M Deal To Rep Migrant Kids

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Texas law firm has withdrawn from consideration for a $150 million award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children in government custody.

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Missed Step Could Vex Ex-Duane Morris Client's Appeal

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pennsylvania Superior Court panel on Tuesday quizzed counsel for a businessman accusing Duane Morris LLP of legal malpractice in a trade secrets case on whether documents he claimed were privileged had been properly put before the trial judge for consideration.

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Ogletree Says Equinox Owes $1.4M In Unpaid Legal Bills

By Hailey Konnath

Ogletree said Monday that fitness company Equinox owes nearly $1.4 million in fees and expenses for the firm's work representing it in an employment matter in Los Angeles, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.

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Brief

Calif. Subclass Added To Fox Rothschild Data Breach Suit

By Emily Sawicki

A California resident seeking to represent a subclass of Golden State data breach victims on Tuesday asked to add a new California Consumer Privacy Act claim to a proposed Pennsylvania class action first filed against Fox Rothschild LLP in June, after prominent ransomware group Silent Ransom Group targeted the firm.

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DOJ Says Executive Privilege May Apply To Private Advisers

By Emily Sawicki

The president's communications with outside advisers may be shielded by executive privilege, so long as they are confidential and relate to official decision-making, the U.S. Department of Justice said in its latest advisory opinion.

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