11th Circ. Backs MetLife's Death Benefits Denial

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Eleventh Circuit on Monday upheld MetLife's denial of accidental death benefits to a federal government worker who died days after she broke her leg and ankle exiting a vehicle, finding the insurer's exercise of an exclusion for contributing underlying physical illnesses wasn't arbitrary or capricious.

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Bankrupt Biz Can't Avoid Pension Obligations, 4th Circ. Says

By Ben Zigterman

A defunct construction business owes the International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund about $1.6 million, a Fourth Circuit panel said Monday, affirming a lower court's decision that the fund's lawsuit seeking payment was filed on time.

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DOL Asks 3rd Circ. To Back Siemens' 401(k) Forfeiture Suit Exit

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Labor Department supported Siemens Corp.'s request that the Third Circuit affirm the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging the technology company's use of millions in forfeited 401(k) funds violated federal benefits law, agreeing with a lower federal court that the allegations reached beyond ERISA's scope.

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Duke Gets Final Approval For $2.35M Mortality Data Deal

By Hayley Fowler

A North Carolina federal judge on Monday gave her final seal of approval to a $2.35 million settlement ending claims that Duke University shorted former employees by millions of dollars by using decades-old mortality tables to calculate retirement benefits.

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Whole Foods $2M ERISA Deal OK'd, Class Counsel Get $666K

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas federal judge signed off on a $2 million settlement between Austin-based Whole Foods and its employees, resolving a class action in which the company was accused of mismanaging employee 401(k) accounts by failing to negotiate for lower administrative fees.

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High Court Won't Review Social Security Judge's Removal

By Chart Riggall

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review a Federal Circuit decision upholding the removal of a Georgia-based Social Security judge who was accused of on-the-job misconduct and shoddy work.

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Pool Equipment Co. Reaches $20M Deal To End Investor Suit

By Sydney Price

Pool equipment maker Hayward Holdings Inc. has reached a nearly $20 million deal with its investors to settle claims that it failed to properly disclose its struggles with ballooning inventory and lowered demand.

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Anthem Seeks Dismissal Of 'Ghost Network' Class Action

By Mark Payne

A proposed class action's allegations that Anthem Health Plans maintains inaccurate mental health directories known as ghost provider networks aren't true and are "legally deficient," the insurer and its parent company, Elevance Health Inc., argued while urging a Connecticut federal court to toss the suit.

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Medtronic Investors Ask 8th Circ. To Revive Insulin Pump Suit

By Katryna Perera

Investors have asked the Eighth Circuit to revive a securities class action against medical device manufacturer Medtronic, arguing that a Minnesota federal court wrongly dismissed the case in October for failure to state a claim.

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Generics Makers Fight Cert. In Cholesterol Drug Pricing MDL

By Gianna Ferrarin

Generic-drug makers sought to defeat a bid to certify proposed classes comprising thousands of pharmacies that indirectly purchased and resold generics at the center of sprawling price-fixing litigation, telling a Pennsylvania federal court Monday that certification would result in an "unmanageable trial."

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Series

Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

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Law Student Recruiting Moves Further Off Campus

By Emma Cueto

About four-fifths of law school summer associate recruiting in 2025 happened through employer-sponsored channels, as opposed to more traditional law school-sponsored channels, with recruiting also happening increasingly early, according to research unveiled Monday by the National Association for Law Placement.

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Fla. Bar Clears Gaetz Despite US House Ethics Report

By Courtney Bublé

The Florida Bar has decided to not discipline former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was briefly President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, despite the House ethics committee's findings that Gaetz regularly paid for sex, including with a minor.

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Texas Law Firm-Linked Plane Crashes In Maine With Fatalities

By Lynn LaRowe

A private plane connected to Texas-based litigation firm Arnold & Itkin LLP overturned and caught fire Sunday night as it attempted to take off from a Maine airport, killing at least six people on board, according to authorities and public records.

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Indiana Judge Was Shot Through Front Door, Cop Says

By Hailey Konnath

An Indiana Superior Court judge and his wife were shot by a man standing on their front porch, through their closed front door, according to an affidavit, which noted that the suspected shooter was connected to a man with pending charges in the judge's courtroom.

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Foley & Lardner Can't Dodge Pro-Palestinian Atty's Bias Suit

By Emily Sawicki

A Chicago federal judge on Monday denied Foley & Lardner LLP's bid for an early win against claims brought by a former summer associate who said discrimination led to the firm's decision to rescind a job offer after she publicly supported Palestinians amid Israel's war with Hamas.

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Minn. Judge Probes Limits Of ICE Enforcement Actions

By Ganesh Setty

A Minnesota federal judge on Monday considered whether to preliminarily block the Trump administration from sending thousands of immigration enforcement officers to the state, questioning if the surge is a coercive federal act in violation of state sovereignty.

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Full 3rd Circ. Passes On Alina Habba DQ Challenge

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit on Monday declined to reconsider its decision blocking Alina Habba from serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, denying the Justice Department's petition for rehearing and leaving intact a decision that sharply curtailed the government's use of creative maneuvers to install interim federal prosecutors.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court wrapped up the week with a slate of high-stakes deal challenges, governance rulings and oversight decisions, including an emergency bid to block a $10.9 billion bank merger, a state Supreme Court reversal reshaping stockholder agreement litigation and a major opinion allowing sexual misconduct oversight claims to proceed.

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