5 Big ERISA Litigation Developments From 2026's First Half

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Supreme Court's acceptance of a petition challenging Intel's 401(k) investment lineup and a Fourth Circuit ruling unraveling a class of Genworth Financial retirement plan participants headlined the court developments that caught benefits attorneys' attention in the first six months of 2026. Here, Law360 looks at those and other noteworthy ERISA decisions.

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Health System Strikes Deal To End Tobacco Fee Suit

By Grace Elletson

Nonprofit health system Advocate Aurora Health reached a deal to close a proposed class action claiming it hit workers with an unlawful fee through their health plan if they used tobacco, according to a filing in Illinois federal court.

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Microchip Co. Strikes Deal In Decade-Old Severance Dispute

By Grace Elletson

A microchip maker has agreed to settle a long-running class action alleging the company illegally shut down its severance program following a 2016 merger weeks before the case was set to go to trial, according to a California federal court filing.

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Trump Accounts Not Subject To ERISA, DOL Says

By Asha Glover

Trump accounts, the new tax-advantaged brokerage accounts for newborns, will generally not be considered employee pension benefit plans and will not be subject to federal benefits laws, according to guidance issued Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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CSX Seeks Early Win In Ex-Workers' FMLA Fight

By Emily Brill

CSX Transportation asked a Florida federal judge to toss two ex-workers' claims that they were fired for using Family and Medical Leave Act leave, saying one was fired for using the leave dishonestly and the other was fired for repeatedly calling out sick without medical documentation.

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Brief

BofA Exits Biden-Era OCC Order Over Pandemic Relief Lapses

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has terminated a 2022 consent order with Bank of America NA over its handling of prepaid unemployment benefit cards during the COVID-19 pandemic, closing out a key part of a Biden-era joint enforcement action against the bank.

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Series

Founding An Autism Academy Made Me A Better Lawyer

Starting a nonprofit autism school with no building, no funding model and no guarantee that families would trust us taught me the importance of mission, patience and purpose — lessons that sharpened my practice and showed how meaningful work outside the office can make lawyers better, says Phillip Russell at Ogletree Deakins.

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Attorney Reprimanded In $256M Defamation Case

By Rachel Rippetoe

A former Conrad & Scherer LLP managing partner must pay an Alabama coal company's attorney fees after being publicly reprimanded by an Alabama federal judge, who found he lied to the court and paid witnesses to change their testimony in his repeated lawsuits against the company.

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NJ Firm Accused Of 'Double-Dipping' On Pelvic Mesh Fees

By Daniel Connolly

Four women allege in a recently filed lawsuit that a New Jersey law firm overcharged them on legal fees related to a settlement in pelvic mesh litigation, and the recent lawsuit also relates to a long-running conflict between lawyers who formerly worked together.

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Justices Seek Input On NJ State Bar Diversity Challenge

By George Woolston

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to weigh in on a Garden State appellate court's decision that approved a New Jersey State Bar Association system for fostering diversity in its leadership that was accused of being discriminatory.

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Blanche, Pirro Can't Be DQ'd From Trump DC Shooting Case

By Craig Clough

A D.C. federal judge held Monday that the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner can't disqualify U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from prosecuting him because of their presence at the dinner.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled disputes involving executive compensation, take-private transactions, books and records demands, tender offers and alleged insider misconduct.

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