News & Analysis as of

Benefit Plan Sponsors Fiduciary Duty

Verrill

Prepare for Cooler Weather, Annual Enrollment, and 2025

Verrill on

Summer is ending and fall is rapidly approaching. For employee benefit professionals with calendar-year health and welfare benefit plans that means preparing for annual enrollment and year-end compliance requirements. This...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

District Court Dismisses Challenge to Use of Plan Forfeitures

A federal district court recently granted a motion to dismiss claims that defined contribution plan fiduciaries breached their fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence, and violated ERISA’s anti-inurement and prohibited...more

Verrill

Novel 401(k) Plan Lawsuits Over the Use of Forfeitures—Swinging for the Fences or Plausible Claims?

Verrill on

In our December 7, 2023 post, we noted five class action lawsuits, all filed by the same law firm within two months, in which 401(k) plan participants allege plan fiduciaries violated ERISA by using plan forfeitures to offset...more

Stinson - Benefits Notes Blog

DOL Settlements Remind Employers to Avoid Collecting Premiums Until Evidence of Insurability is Approved

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced two settlements with major insurance companies this month that highlight the importance of employers avoiding the collection of group life insurance premiums from employees until...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

DOL Final Rule 4.0 - Correcting the historical record

From the 2010 outset of its project to extend ERISA fiduciary status broadly to financial intermediaries, including insurance agents, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has consistently relied on the evolution of the private...more

Snell & Wilmer

Perplexed and the Fiduciary Committee – PBM Edition

Snell & Wilmer on

I read the Lewandowski v. Johnson & Johnson class action complaint and couldn’t help but wonder – are plans and participants doomed, or can employers take proactive steps to satisfy their fiduciary duties and potentially...more

Miller Canfield

DOL’s Latest Regulatory Package Expands Definition of Fiduciary

Miller Canfield on

The Department of Labor ("DOL") recently issued a regulatory package that includes a final rule updating ERISA's definition of an investment advice fiduciary and amending certain related prohibited transaction exemptions...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Why Retirement Plan Sponsors and Fiduciaries Need to Know about the SEC Cybersecurity Amendments

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

In 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued cybersecurity guidance for ERISA-covered retirement plans. The guidance expands the duties retirement plan fiduciaries have when selecting service providers. Specifically, the DOL...more

Groom Law Group, Chartered

Is Your DC Plan Retirement Ready?

Participating in DC plans such as 401(k), 457, and 403(b) plans is the primary way most people save for retirement, and there is considerable sponsor and participant interest in making DC plans more effective at their primary...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Too Little, Too Late? Plan Contribution Timing Requirements and How to Correct Delays

Bricker Graydon LLP on

One of the most basic duties of a defined contribution plan sponsor is to ensure that that there is no delay and participants’ salary deferral elections are correctly and timely deposited into the retirement plan. Not only is...more

Verrill

Health and Welfare Benefit Plan Fiduciary Governance in the Wake of the Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit

Verrill on

For the past few years, we have encouraged plan sponsors to focus on matters of fiduciary governance for their health and welfare benefit plans (see our 2021 blog post). Yet many plan sponsors overlook the fact that the...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Welfare Plan Class Action Litigation Underscores Importance of Minding Your Fiduciary Duties

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC on

As mentioned in our recent blog post, the recently filed class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson (Lewandowski v. Johnson & Johnson et. al., D.N.J., No. 1:24-cv-00671 (Feb. 5, 2024)) over alleged excessive prescription...more

Dickinson Wright

Why Establish a Fiduciary Committee for Welfare Benefit Plans?

Dickinson Wright on

Many plan sponsors have read about the lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson alleging that it breached its fiduciary duties with regard to the prescription drug component of its group health plan, causing participants to...more

A&O Shearman

DOL Issues Final Rule Amending QPAM Exemption

A&O Shearman on

On April 3, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule amending Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14 (PTE 84-14). PTE 84-14 exempts from ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules certain transactions between...more

DRI

What Is the Future of Monetary Relief under ERISA, Section 502(a)(3)?

DRI on

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended, regulates virtually every private employee benefit program in the United States. Among other things, ERISA contains its own civil enforcement section,...more

Mintz - Employment Viewpoints

A Post (f/n/a “Tweet”) to Remind Plan Sponsors of Key Considerations in Designing Severance Plans

The recent Complaint filed for severance benefits against Elon Musk, X Corp., et.al., serves as a reminder that it is as important to clearly establish the fiduciary governance structure over severance plans subject to the...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Don’t Set It & Forget It: Keeping up Your Fiduciary Committee

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

It’s hard to believe that 2024 is well underway! That means it’s a perfect time to think about an issue that might get lost in the summertime and (dare I already say) year-end shuffles: fiduciary committees. ERISA imposes...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

The New Fiduciary Rule (23): The Final Rule Has Been Sent to the OMB

In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor released its package of proposed changes to the regulation defining fiduciary advice and to the exemptions for conflicts and compensation for investment recommendations to...more

Mayer Brown

Decision Alert: Northern District of Texas Expands Fiduciary Liability To Cover Non-ESG Fund Managers’ ESG-Related Conduct

Mayer Brown on

Case Name and Number: Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., et al., No. 4:23-cv-00552 - Introduction - On February 21, 2024, Judge Reed O’Connor in the Northern District of Texas (the “Court”) denied a motion to dismiss an...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Lessons From Wood Group’s Success in ERISA Defense Over Target-Date Funds

McGuireWoods LLP on

In a win for employee retirement plan sponsors and investment managers alike, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California recently ruled in favor of the defendants following a bench trial in a class action...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

Knock Knock, Is Anyone Home? Do You Know Where Your “Missing” Retirement Plan Participants Are?

Bricker Graydon LLP on

In the laundry list of retirement plan administrative and operational requirements, plan sponsors may sometimes overlook their obligations with respect to terminated vested employees. Even though these individuals have left...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

The Duties Must Change For 401(k) Plan Sponsors

One of the major reasons that I started my law practice was my discontent with the way that midsized law firms ran. I think they were the worst-run businesses out there because they didn’t have the clientele to support such a...more

Laner Muchin, Ltd.

Lawsuit Against Johnson & Johnson For Mismanagement of Drug Prices Likely a Sign of Things To Come For Many Self-Insured Health...

Laner Muchin, Ltd. on

A novel proposed class action lawsuit was filed against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) earlier this month by a current employee for mismanagement of prescription drug prices. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that J&J...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

These Things You Can’t Afford To Neglect About Your 401(k) Plan

We all know from your health, that if you neglect certain things, it will hurt you later down the line. Whether it’s your heart or your teeth, neglecting important health issues is only going to make the situation worse. The...more

Allen Barron, Inc.

What Can A Tax Attorney Do For You? A Podcast With Janathan Allen

Allen Barron, Inc. on

Janathan Allen discusses what a tax attorney brings to the table that many other don’t. Ms. Allen notes that many attorneys don’t like numbers and yet there is so much in the business world that focuses upon the numbers...more

507 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 21

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide