The Third Circuit recently held that anti-assignment clauses in ERISA-governed healthcare plans are enforceable as long as they are unambiguous. The Court concluded that the anti-assignment clause clearly stated that...more
Over the past several years, the ERISA plaintiffs’ bar has targeted university-sponsored 403(b) plans, arguing that the plan fiduciaries breached their fiduciary duties and engaged in prohibited transactions in connection...more
Editor's Overview -
We often talk about the importance of evaluating whether there are any procedural obstacles to plaintiffs pursuing their ERISA claims, particularly in complex, class actions where it may not be...more
4/3/2019
/ Administrative Remedies ,
Article III ,
Breach of Duty ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Discovery ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Harm ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
IRS ,
Notice Requirements ,
Standard of Review ,
Standing
As we closed the door on 2018, we were met by two surprising decisions—one from a panel of the Second Circuit addressing employer stock drop litigation, and one from a federal district court in Texas declaring the entire...more
1/11/2019
/ 403(b) Plans ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Amgen v Harris ,
Breach of Duty ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Health Insurance ,
IRS ,
Plan Administrators ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Section 409A ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Editor's Overview -
In last quarter's Newsletter, we commented that all eyes were on President Trump's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the outcome of the appointment process can have a significant impact on the...more
10/3/2018
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Discovery ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
FRCP 26(b)(1) ,
Preemption ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retirement Plan ,
Standing
The Ninth Circuit held that employees’ agreements to arbitrate all claims the employees may have did not extend to claims brought on behalf of two ERISA plans under ERISA § 502(a)(2). In so ruling, the Court explained that...more
As we head into the thick of summer, all eyes are on President Trump's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy and the impact the new Justice will have on shaping the law for...more
7/11/2018
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Beneficiaries ,
Bi-Partison Balanced Budget Act (BBA) ,
Breach of Duty ,
Clawbacks ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
HDHP ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
IRS ,
MHPAEA ,
Murder ,
Plan Administrators ,
Preemption ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Retirement Plan ,
Slayer Statutes
After nearly a decade in the making, the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule appears to be officially dead. On June 21st, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued its mandate that finalized its earlier...more
6/26/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
New Guidance ,
Vacated
On May 7, 2018, the DOL issued a Field Assistance Bulletin (“FAB”) addressing the Department’s enforcement policy on the fiduciary rule that was recently vacated by the Fifth Circuit. Although the DOL has elected not to...more
Despite the change in seasons, there appears to be no change in the pace of complex and class action ERISA litigation. Investments in defined contribution plans—both 401(k) and 403(b) plans—continue to be the leading target...more
4/11/2018
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Bi-Partison Balanced Budget Act (BBA) ,
Books & Records ,
Breach of Duty ,
Cadillac Tax ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Excessive Fees ,
Executive Compensation ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (MPPAA) ,
Mutual Funds ,
National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) ,
Retirement Plan ,
Self-Dealing ,
Standing
On March 23, 2018, the National Association for Fixed Annuities (“NAFA”) and the Department of Labor filed a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal of litigation involving the Department’s fiduciary rule in the District of Columbia...more
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, including the expanded definition of “investment advice fiduciary” and the associated exemptions. The...more
3/19/2018
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Vacated
The Tenth Circuit recently affirmed the Department of Labor’s authority to impose new conditions for exemption from prohibited transaction rules with respect to the sale of annuity contracts. The case related to the...more
3/16/2018
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Annuities ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Notice Requirements ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Proposed Rules
In an opinion released yesterday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) must be interpreted according to “ordinary principles of contract law.” CNH Industrial N.V. v. Reese, No. 17-515,...more
Editor's Overview -
For over two decades, federal law has required covered health plans and insurers to ensure that certain mental health benefits are in parity with offered medical/surgical benefits. The meaning of...more
1/9/2018
/ 401k ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Claim Procedures ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Deferred Compensation ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability ,
Disability Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Health Savings Accounts ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Income Taxes ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Mental Health ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Public Health Service Act ,
QMAC ,
QNEC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Shared Responsibility Rule ,
Statute of Repose ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Reform ,
User Fees
On November 27, 2017, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) finalized the delay of the applicability date for certain conditions for exemptions to the fiduciary rule until July 1, 2019. This delay was initially proposed in late...more
11/29/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Delays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Popular ,
Retirement Plan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stakeholder Engagement ,
Trump Administration
Editor's Overview - As we have observed on other occasions, the ERISA class action plaintiffs' bar has, for several years now, honed in on 401(k) plan fiduciaries and their decisions to select and retain investment options...more
10/4/2017
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Delays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disability Benefits ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Excessive Fees ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Form 5500 ,
GINA ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hurricane Harvey ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
OMB ,
PBGC ,
Pensions ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Principal Transaction Exemption ,
Retirement Plan ,
Self-Dealing ,
Twombly/Iqbal Pleading Standard ,
Universities ,
Wellness Programs
On August 30, 2017, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) officially proposed delaying the applicability date of exemptions to its fiduciary rule until July 1, 2019. The proposal was expected after DOL stated in a court filing...more
8/31/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Breach of Duty ,
Delays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
IRS ,
Mitigation ,
OMB ,
Principal Transaction Exemption ,
Private Right of Action ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration ,
Written Agreements
On August 9, 2017, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) stated in a court filing that the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) is reviewing a proposal to extend the applicability date for certain requirements under DOL’s...more
Editor's Overview -
Welcome once again to Proskauer's newly revamped ERISA Newsletter. As a reminder, readers can obtain the information in this Newsletter as it is published on our blog.
Our featured article this...more
7/7/2017
/ 401k ,
American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
Church Plans ,
Class Action ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ESOP ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Hardship Distributions ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
MHPAEA ,
Pension Funds ,
Preemption ,
Qualified Retirement Plans ,
Request For Information ,
Split of Authority ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Summary Plan Description ,
Taft-Hartley Plan Trustees ,
Trustees
On June 29, 2017, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) requested another round of public comment on its fiduciary rule—this time in the form of a Request (“RFI”) for Information. The RFI seeks input on (a) whether to extend the...more
The Department of Labor has announced that the new fiduciary conflict of interest rule and related exemptions will begin taking effect on June 9, 2017, ending speculation of further delay. At the same time, the Department...more
5/24/2017
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Excise Tax ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Final Rules ,
HSA ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Private Right of Action ,
Self-Reporting
On April 4, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a final rule postponing applicability of the conflict of interest rule and related exemptions for sixty days, until June 9, 2017...more
4/7/2017
/ Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Delays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Final Rules ,
Investment Adviser ,
Popular ,
Private Right of Action ,
Public Comment ,
Retirement Plan ,
Trump Administration
After a brief hiatus, Proskauer's ERISA Newsletter is back with a brand new look. We hope you like it and find it is easier to navigate. In addition to implementing our new format, we have moved to a quarterly publication...more
4/6/2017
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Aetna ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Alternative Pleadings ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Delays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Duty of Prudence ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Exhaustion Doctrine ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
FIfth Third Bancorp v Dudenhoeffer ,
HRA ,
Insider Information ,
IRS ,
Lifetime Health Benefits ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pleading Standards ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Disclosure ,
Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Plan (QSEHRAs) ,
Repeal ,
Retirement Plan ,
Small Employers ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Trump Administration ,
Unilateral Modification ,
Vested Benefits
On the heels of the Department of Labor’s temporary enforcement policy concerning the DOL conflict of interest rule and related exemptions, the IRS announced that...more