An incident of the trustee’s duty to be generally prudent, to account (or report) to beneficiaries, and to refrain from breaches of the duty of undivided loyalty, such as engaging in unauthorized self-dealing, is the...more
You represent the unsecured creditors committee in a complex Chapter 11 case, where you have reason to believe that the debtor’s officers and directors have, and continue to, engage in self-dealing and are breaching their...more
Part Three of a Series Payne & Fears’ Business Litigation Group helps businesses and their owners with wide-ranging disputes. In our practice, we’ve noticed that in disputes among business partners there are common issues...more
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
Nestled between Broadway and Church Street in New York City’s hottest neighborhood is the landmarked, stone-façade building at 66-68 Reade Street. Now marketed as the superluxury boutique condominium complex 66 Reade, the...more
This presentation will address the various issues that arise when a trustee enters into a self-interested transaction with the trust. Among other issues, it will address the duty of loyalty, the presumption of unfairness,...more
A fiduciary’s failure to disclose material facts to beneficiaries may violate their fiduciary duties. A recent Texas court’s decision outlines the fiduciary’s risks that come with the obligation to disclose....more
A nonprofit recently settled with the Minnesota Attorney General due to conflicts of interest and allegations of self-dealing. While it may be easy to dismiss the settlement as an example of a sham nonprofit obviously...more
In In re Tilray, Inc. Reorganization Litigation (C.A. No. 2020-137-KSJM (Del. Ch. June 1, 2021)), the minority shareholders of Tilray, Inc. alleged that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by entering a...more
This newsletter is intended to keep readers informed about developments in probate and fiduciary litigation in Massachusetts and New York. ...more
Managing members of manager-managed New York LLCs owe default fiduciary duties of loyalty and care to non-managing members. Those duties can be modified by the operating agreement....more
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co. and its subsidiary United of Omaha has agreed to settle Mutual of Omaha’s 401(k) plan over allegations of self-dealing....more
In Roels v. Valkenaar, a shareholder filed a shareholder derivative suit against former and current officers and directors of the company based on multiple claims of breach of fiduciary duty. No. 03-19-00502-CV, 2020 Tex....more
A federal district court in Illinois recently dismissed “excessive fee” and “imprudent investment” claims against the plan fiduciaries of the CareerBuilder 401(k) plan fiduciaries, relying largely on the Seventh Circuit’s...more
In the famous case of Meinhard v Salmon, Justice Benjamin Cardozo wrote in lofty language that lawyers of maltreated business owners have loved to quote ever since that the duty of loyalty among closely-held business owners...more
A settlement has been in a lawsuit accusing fiduciaries of the JPMorgan Chase 401(k) Savings Plan of self-dealing. Records show that a settlement of $9 million will be made to “fully, finally and forever resolve, discharge...more
One of my favorite sayings is that you should never make yourself a target, but when you are a mutual fund company and you use your own proprietary funds as an investment option in your 401(k) plan, you are certainly a target...more
A recent decision in Greenhaus v. Gersh out of the Commercial Division, Suffolk County, is yet another example. This time, the business is a summer day camp located on the north shore of Long Island in Huntington, New York....more
With a planned merger with SunTrust, BB&T tied up a loose end by agreeing to a $24 million settlement on a class action lawsuit filed against them over their 401(k) plan....more
In Goughnour v. Patterson, a beneficiary sued a trustee based on a failed real estate investment. No. 12-17-00234-CV, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 1665 (Tex. App.—Tyler March 5, 2019, no pet. history). In 2007, the trustee of four...more
In Milligan v. Salamone, the Greenberg Taurig lawfirm represented the bankrupt company when it sued a president and board member. No. 1:18-CV-327-RP, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41009 (W.D. Tex. March 14, 2019). Greenberg drafted...more
One of the most fundamental duties of a fiduciary is the duty of loyalty. That is, every fiduciary must administer the estate or trust subject to his or her stewardship solely in the interests of the beneficiaries....more
...Temptation is powerful. We all know this well, which is why these quotes by author and bon vivant Oscar Wilde, and actress and legendary sex symbol Mae West evoke nods of agreement. But giving into temptation can result...more
In this episode of The Proskauer Benefits Brief, partner Ira Bogner and senior counsel Adam Scoll discuss the key considerations for ERISA plan fiduciaries when delegating investment authority over plan assets. We will break...more
In the private company world, the buck stops with the majority owners, who generally hold the reins to running the business. In our experience, however, it is not uncommon for some majority owners to push the limits of their...more