News & Analysis as of

Class Action Excessive Fees Fiduciary Duty

A class action is a type of legal action where a representative individual or group of individuals can bring a claim on behalf of a larger group or class who share a common legal interest.
Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Northrop Grumman is target for another Schlicter case

If there’s a Mount Rushmore of ERISA class-action litigators, you better believe Jerry Schlichter’s face is carved into it—probably right next to a 408(b)(2) disclosure and a stack of mutual fund fee charts. And once again,...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Down goes Pentegra in a jury trial verdict

If you’re a 401(k) plan provider and think you can get away with charging sky-high fees while prioritizing your own bottom line, think again. A federal jury just reminded us all—fiduciary responsibility under ERISA isn’t just...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Affiliated plan providers of big plans get slaughtered

Following a jury’s decision to award over $38 million to a class of more than 26,000 participants in Pentegra’s multiple employer plan, the issue of working with providers affiliated with the plan sponsor highlights the...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Whole Foods settles class action case

Whole Foods Market has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company failed to prudently manage the administrative fees of its $1.9 billion 401(k) plan, resulting in millions in losses for employees....more

Holland & Hart - The Benefits Dial

Every Little Thing … Employer Considerations as New 401(k) Lawsuit Includes Extensive Claims

by Alex Smith A recently filed lawsuit related to Swiss Re’s 401(k) plan stands out because of the extensive assortment of allegations...more

Morris James LLP

Supreme Court Affirms Chancery Decision of Near-Record $267 Million Fee Award

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In re Dell Techs. Inc. Class V S’holders Litig., No. 349, 2023 (Del. Aug. 14, 2024) - After an appeal of the second-largest fee award in Delaware history, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Chancery had...more

Carlton Fields

The Case of Excessive Fees: Supreme Court to Investigate Pleading Standard in ERISA Excessive Fee Litigation

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ERISA class action litigation against retirement plan fiduciaries remains a prominent feature of the legal landscape this year. These lawsuits typically involve allegations that plan fiduciaries acted imprudently in...more

The Wagner Law Group

Forfeiture Cases – Update

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Last year, we alerted you to the filing of several class action lawsuits alleging that plan fiduciaries violated their duties of prudence and loyalty under Title I of ERISA by applying forfeitures to reduce employer...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Eleventh Circuit Reiterates that Burden of Proving Loss Causation Stays with Plaintiffs

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the fiduciaries of the Home Depot 401(k) plan, who defended against claims that they breached their fiduciary...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California District Court Dismisses Conclusory ERISA “Fee” Complaint Unsupported by Facts

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A California federal court recently granted an employer win in an ERISA excessive fee case when it dismissed a proposed class action brought by an ex-employee of Schenker, Inc., a transportation logistics company. Partida v....more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

California District Court Denies Motion to Dismiss 401(k) Excessive Fee and Underperformance Claims

A California district court recently denied a motion to dismiss claims that the fiduciaries of a 401(k) plan breached their ERISA fiduciary duties of prudence and loyalty by selecting underperforming, high-cost investments...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Eighth Circuit’s “Meaningful Benchmark” Requirement for 401(k) “Excessive Fee” Lawsuits Continues to Generate Dismissals

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On August 21, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota largely dismissed—for a second time—a putative ERISA class action challenging “excessive” fees and “poor” performance in a 401(k) plan. Fritton v....more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Northwestern University’s Alternative Explanations Not Strong Enough To Defeat ERISA Excessive Fee Claims

On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Seventh Circuit issued its opinion in Hughes v. Northwestern University, concluding that participants in two Northwestern 403(b) plans plausibly pled fiduciary-breach claims based on...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Excessive Recordkeeping Fee Claim Squeaks by a Motion to Dismiss

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A federal court in Wisconsin recently allowed a putative ERISA class action in Lucero v. Credit Union Ret. Plan Ass’n to proceed to discovery on the claim that a 401(k) plan paid excessive recordkeeping fees. This decision...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

District Courts Reach Opposite Conclusions on 401(k) Excessive Fee Claims

A district court in the Southern District of Ohio and one in the Western District of Wisconsin reached opposite conclusions on motions to dismiss claims for fiduciary breach based on allegations that recordkeeping fees were...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Nestle on verge of winning most of their case

A U.S. District Court federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Wisconsin mostly sided with Nestlé USA Inc by recommending the dismissal. of a class action lawsuit alleging fiduciary negligence and self-dealing in...more

Proskauer - Employee Benefits & Executive...

Two District Courts in the Seventh Circuit Grapple with Pleading Standards in ERISA Excessive Fee Cases

In Baumeister v. Exelon, No. 21-cv-6505, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 176711 (N.D. Ill. Sep. 22, 2022) and Coyer v. Univar Sols. USA Inc., No. 22-cv-362, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175972 (N.D. Ill. Sep. 28, 2022), two Illinois district...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Low-Cost Index Funds in the Crosshairs of New 401(k) Lawsuits

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Since late July, at least 10 lawsuits have been filed against large 401(k) plan sponsors that offer certain BlackRock Inc. target-date funds (TDF) among their investment options. In an unexpected pivot away from the 401(k)...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Universal Health Loses Appeal to Undo 60,000-Person Class in Excessive Fee Case

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The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that as the plan fiduciary of Universal’s defined contribution plan, Universal Health Services Inc. and its plan investment committee (collectively “Universal”) must face a...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

District Court of Connecticut Grants Certification of Class of More Than 11,000, But Only for Retrospective Relief

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

Four former employees of Eversource Energy Company recently obtained partial class certification of their claims. However, the District of Connecticut ruled that because the named plaintiffs are all former participants in the...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

New York Federal District Court Dismisses 401(k) Fee Class Action

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A New York district court recently dismissed, without prejudice, a 401(k) plan participant’s putative class action complaint alleging breaches of fiduciary duty. The plaintiff alleged that the plan fiduciary-defendants...more

Goodwin

ERISA Litigation Update - April 2022

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Welcome to Goodwin’s ERISA Litigation Update. Litigation involving ERISA-governed benefits plans has exploded in recent years. Lawyers in our award-winning ERISA Litigation practice have extensive experience litigating these...more

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

SCOTUS ERISA Fee Litigation Update: Hughes et al. v. Northwestern University

On January 24, 2022, in a rare, unanimous 8-0 decision (Justice Barrett recused herself from the case), the Supreme Court of the United States (the “Supreme Court”) vacated a Seventh Circuit affirmation of the dismissal of...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Supreme Court Stresses Importance of Ongoing Monitoring of All ERISA Plan Investment Options

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In Hughes v. Northwestern University, current and former participants in Northwestern University's defined-contribution retirement plans filed litigation on behalf of the plans' participants asserting that the University, its...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

District Court Issues First Post-Northwestern University 401(k) “Fee” Decision

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Just this month, the Supreme Court issued its much anticipated decision in Northwestern University, the first time the Court has been called upon to examine a lawsuit alleging that a 401(k) plan’s investment and fees were...more

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