A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday released AT&T from a proposed class action filed by retirees who claim the telecom company breached fiduciary duties through its $8 billion pension risk transfer, but opened discovery on allegations that AT&T's independent fiduciary, State Street, violated federal benefits law with the deal.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

State Street Must Face $8B AT&T Pension Risk Transfer Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday released AT&T from a proposed class action filed by retirees who claim the telecom company breached fiduciary duties through its $8 billion pension risk transfer, but opened discovery on allegations that AT&T's independent fiduciary, State Street, violated federal benefits law with the deal.

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Trader Joe's Ordered To Pay $1.2M Over 401(k) Fees

By Carolyn Muyskens

Trader Joe's failed to keep its employer-sponsored retirement plan fees in check, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Monday, ordering the company to pay $1.2 million.

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Ex-Electric Parts CEO Drops ERISA Suit Over Firing

By Patrick Hoff

The former CEO of an electric parts manufacturer has agreed to end his suit alleging the trustee of the company's employee stock ownership plan unlawfully pushed him out without investigating a competing executive's misconduct accusations, according to a filing in California federal court.

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Creamery Blocked From Cutting Off Workers' Healthcare

By Emily Brill

A billion-dollar dairy cooperative that is trying to shutter a century-old creamery in Vermont cannot revoke the staff's health insurance until it resolves a dispute with a Teamsters local over whether the shutdown is lawful, a state federal judge ruled Monday, partially granting the union's request for an injunction.

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POLICY & REGULATION

Calif. Expands Reproductive Care, Abortion Access

By Hailey Konnath

A series of new laws in California aim to expand access to medication abortion on community college campuses, bolster veterans' access to reproductive care including abortions, and make it easier for nursing parents to access lactation support, according to an announcement made Sunday.

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Newsom Signs Slate Of Bills Bolstering LGBTQ+ Protections

By Lauren Berg

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a slate of bills defending against what he called the Trump administration's "all-out assault on the LGBTQ community," strengthening privacy protections, providing support to discharged service members and enhancing access to medical care.

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Goya Gets Former CEO's Pay Suit Shipped To NJ

By Patrick Hoff

Goya Foods got a green light to move a compensation dispute with a fired executive from Texas to New Jersey, with a federal judge in the Lone Star State saying it's best to litigate the case where the company is headquartered.

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LITIGATION

Unum Must Reinstate Morgan Lewis Atty's Disability Benefits

By James Boyle

A Pennsylvania federal judge found Monday that the insurer for a Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorney abused its discretion when it terminated her long-term disability benefits after incorrectly applying criteria to evaluate her ability to return to work.

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Faith-Based Rehab Program Can't Exit Wage Suit, Court Rules

By MJ Koo

A Texas federal court allowed a man who was ordered into a faith-based addiction recovery program to pursue wage claims against the program's operators, finding he plausibly alleged participants were treated as employees who performed substantial commercial labor without lawful pay.

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Mich. Recovery Center Worker's OT Claim Headed To Trial

By MJ Koo

A Michigan federal court sent a revenue cycle manager's overtime lawsuit to trial Monday, finding factual disputes about whether her employer improperly docked her pay and whether she had enough independence on the job to qualify as an exempt administrative employee under federal wage law.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

8th Circ. Ruling Raises Bar For Seeking Disability Benefits

The Eighth Circuit's recent ruling in Post v. Bisignano signals that claimants seeking Social Security disability benefits may need to offer convincing proof of functional restrictions beyond their treating doctors' opinions and illustrates that the court's proclaimant jurisprudence no longer prevails, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

3rd Circ. Affirms Thomson Reuters' Westlaw AI Copyright Win

By Ivan Moreno

The Third Circuit on Tuesday upheld Thomson Reuters' victory against Ross Intelligence Inc. in the first U.S. appellate ruling to address whether artificial intelligence training can be fair use of copyrighted material, upholding a Delaware federal court's decision that the startup infringed Westlaw headnotes by using material derived from them to develop an AI-powered legal search tool.

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11th Circ. Won't Pause Sanctions Against Trump In IRS Case

By Jack McLoone

An Eleventh Circuit panel refused Tuesday to pause a district court's sanctions order barring President Donald Trump and others from citing the agreement he made to settle his $10 billion suit against the Internal Revenue Service while they appeal the order.

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DC Circ. Weighs Limits On Boasberg's Contempt Inquiry

By Jared Foretek

A top Justice Department official told an en banc D.C. Circuit panel that a district judge should refer former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for contempt over the 2025 deportation flights to El Salvador and move on, saying the judge had no authority to wrap others into his inquiry.

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Jack Smith Says He Won't Be Intimidated By Trump Threats

By Courtney Bublé

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified on Tuesday he "will not be silenced" by threats of prosecution by the president or others.

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Baker Botts Atty Disputes Inventor's Claim Of Defamation Deal

By Madison Arnold

A Baker Botts LLP patent attorney is pushing back on an inventor's claim that they reached a settlement agreement in the inventor's defamation suit in Florida federal court.

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Richards Layton Atty's Chancery Nomination Advanced

By Rose Krebs

A Delaware senate committee Tuesday advanced the nomination for a Richards Layton & Finger PA director to serve as a vice chancellor on the nationally important Chancery Court, with him vowing to continue the court's esteemed legacy for corporate law jurisprudence.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Ahmad Zavitsanos

Avyno Law

Baker Botts

Brito PLLC

Buchanan Ingersoll

Capozzi Adler PC

DLA Piper

DeBofsky Law

Downs Rachlin

Edward Stone Law

Goodwin Procter

Gordon Rees

Kirkland & Ellis

Libby Hoopes

Morgan Lewis

Nutter McClennen

O'Melveny & Myers

Pillsbury Winthrop

Post & Schell

Pyle Rome

Richards Layton

Rivero Mestre

SML Avvocati

Salmanson Goldshaw

Schlichter Bogard

Susman Godfrey

Tucker Ellis

Varnum LLP

Wachtell Lipton

White & Case

Zuckerman Spaeder

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

American Civil Liberties Union

Dairy Farmers of America Inc.

Goya Foods Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

New York University

Starbucks Corp.

State Street Global Advisors Inc.

Thomson Reuters Corp.

Trader Joe's Co.

Trump Organization Inc.

Unum Group

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Attorney General's Office

Internal Revenue Service

Social Security Administration

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

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

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

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

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Vermont