A recent Fourth Circuit decision in a retirement plan dispute between tobacco giant Altria and an ex-worker underscored how service provider contracts can introduce snags in litigation, with benefits attorneys warning that employers may want to review documents with the potential for disclosure in mind.
Law360
Benefits
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Analysis

4th Circ. Altria Decision Spotlights Risks From ERISA Docs

By Kellie Mejdrich

A recent Fourth Circuit decision in a retirement plan dispute between tobacco giant Altria and an ex-worker underscored how service provider contracts can introduce snags in litigation, with benefits attorneys warning that employers may want to review documents with the potential for disclosure in mind.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Says Film Industry Pension Fight Needs 2nd Look

By Grace Elletson

The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived a set designer's suit claiming that the board of the Motion Picture Industry Pension Plans stood by while certain investment funds underperformed year over year, ruling a lower court should reassess whether the board acted imprudently under a clarified legal standard.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SAG-AFTRA Plan Members Seek Final OK Of Data Breach Deal

By MJ Koo

Members of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan have asked a California federal court for final approval of a $950,000 class action settlement resolving claims that a 2024 data breach exposed the personal and medical information of approximately 94,000 plan members.

Settlement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

United, Ga. Providers Settle Out-Of-Network Benefits Pay Fight

By Emily Brill

United Healthcare has settled claims that three Georgia medical providers that are outside the insurer's network requested "exorbitantly high" reimbursements for care provided to United customers, according to documents filed in Georgia federal court.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

Worker Says Private Jail Co. Fired Him For Aiding Drug Probe

By Carolina Bolado

Private prison operator CoreCivic Inc. terminated an employee for cooperating with a local sheriff's investigation into drug smuggling at a Florida detention center, according to a suit filed Friday in federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Wells Fargo, Conduent Settle NM Debit Card Fraud Suit

By Katryna Perera

New Mexico residents who claimed Wells Fargo and a third-party contractor mishandled reports of fraud involving their state-issued debit cards dropped their proposed class action, telling a New Mexico federal judge on Friday that they had reached settlements to end the case.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

BANKRUPTCY

AIG Ex-Execs Win Ruling That Parent's FP Loan Was Equity

By Lauren Berg

American International Group's funding advances to one of its investment units was an equity infusion and not debt, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Friday, handing a win to former executives who say they're owed deferred compensation funds that were depleted during the 2008 financial crisis.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Law Firms See Revenue, Demand Grow In First Half Of 2026

By Anna Sanders

Despite rising expenses driven by artificial intelligence and return to office mandates, the legal industry is performing well in 2026, with U.S. law firms recording a double-digit jump in revenue and strong growth in demand so far this year, according to new survey results from Citi Global Wealth at Work's Law Firm Group.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan & Morgan Sues Fla. Bar Over Celebrity Ad Ban

By Carolina Bolado

Personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan PA has sued the Florida Bar, claiming a bar rule that bans any use of a celebrity's voice or image in lawyer advertising violates the First Amendment.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

3 NY Injury Firms Get Uber's RICO Suit Tossed

By Lauren Berg

A New York federal judge threw out Uber Technologies Inc.'s lawsuit accusing three personal injury law firms of conspiring with physicians and exploiting passengers to pursue fake or exaggerated injury claims in order to strongarm settlement payouts from the ride-hailing giant.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Nussbaum-Linked Firms' Ch. 11s Tossed For Bad Faith

By Ben Zigterman

A New York bankruptcy judge has dismissed the Chapter 11 cases of two commercial real estate law firms headed by Mark J. Nussbaum, finding their petitions were filed in bad faith and that the cases instead belonged in an assignment for the benefit of creditors process in New York state court.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chattah Can't Serve As Acting Nevada US Atty, 9th Circ. Says

By Emma Cueto

The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that Nevada's top prosecutor was not put in place lawfully and was barred from overseeing the criminal cases giving rise to the appeal, the latest state where courts have shut down attempts by the Trump administration to fill U.S. attorney vacancies without Senate confirmation.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Clifford Chance Pushes To Send Clawback Suit To Arbitration

By Ryan Boysen

Clifford Chance LLP wants a high-profile partner pay dispute sent to arbitration, accusing two ex-partners who claim they're facing a $6 million clawback demand of "gamesmanship" by filing suit in New York federal court.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NYCBA Cautions Against Recording Nonclient Calls

By Emily Sawicki

New York City attorneys who have been granted permission may ethically use artificial intelligence to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with nonclients, according to the latest ethics guidance by the New York City Bar Association Monday, which added that just because they can doesn't mean they should.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

dark blue promo that reads 2026 Rising Stars gray blue promo that reads Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alston & Bird

Anderson Kill

Ashurst Perkins

Baker & Hostetler

Ballard Spahr

Caplan Cobb

Clapp & Lauinger

Clarkson Law Firm PC

Clifford Chance

Duane Morris

Emery Reddy

Gupta Wessler

Hall Benefits Law

Holland & Knight

Hurwitz Sagarin

Kobre & Kim

Kutak Rock

Landis Rath

Lash Goldberg

Latham & Watkins

Lavelle Law Firm

Mayer Brown

Meritz Reddy

Milberg PLLC

MoloLamken

Morgan & Morgan PA

Nichols Kaster

Nussbaum Lowinger

O'Melveny & Myers

Proskauer Rose

Quinn Emanuel

Roberts Disability Law

Rodey Dickason

Schlanger Law Group

Selendy Gay

Sidley Austin

Simon & Simon PC

Spencer Fane

Wingate Russotti

Winston Taylor

Yormak Employment & Disability Law

Young Conaway

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American International Group Inc.

CoreCivic Inc.

FedEx Corp.

Intel Corp.

Netflix Inc.

New York City Bar Association

Nike Inc.

Premera Blue Cross

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television & Radio Artists

The Florida Bar

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

UMR Inc.

Uber Technologies Inc.

Wells Fargo & Co.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Florida Supreme Court

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Nevada