Eric Berkman’s article in this week’s Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on Gross v. Sun Life, in which I am quoted, does an excellent job of explaining the case, particularly to those readers who do not have years of experience with ERISA cases, benefit litigation, or the long history of the law in this circuit
A State of the Art ERISA Benefits Decision from the First Circuit: Gross v Sun Life
Great, great decision out of the First Circuit a few days ago on ERISA benefits litigation, covering, in no particular order: what language is necessary to establish discretionary review; when does the safe harbor exception to preemption apply; when is an LTD policy part of an ERISA governed plan; the proper weight and mode of
Why Discretionary Review Is Not Unconstitutional
Attorneys Jonathan Feigenbaum and Scott Riemer, who represent claimants in long term disability cases, have published a fascinating article, titled “Did the Supreme Court Flunk Constitutional Law when it Permitted Discretionary Review of Insured ERISA Benefits Cases?” In it, they argue, not surprisingly given the title, that it is unconstitutional for courts to apply
Doubling Down on a Bad Bet: Liability for Portfolio Company Pension Obligations After Sun Capital
Just what more is there to say about Sun Capital at this point? The decision, out of the First Circuit, concerns the withdrawal liability for a multiemployer pension plan of the private equity owners of a portfolio company that was a member of the pension plan, with the First Circuit finding that, while a certain claim
Futility Is Not in the Eye of the Beholder, But Depends on the Facts
I have written and spoken on a number of occasions about the extent to which courts will enforce the exhaustion doctrine with regard to benefit claims, and about the exceptions that exist to exhaustion; I have litigated those disputes as well, in a number of contexts running from top-hat plans involving substantial deferred compensation to
The Lessons of Detroit for Private Sector Retirement Plans
Much has been written over the years about the transition of employees from pension plans to 401(k)s by private industry over the past decade or so, with pensions disappearing and the obligation to fund – and risk of underfunding retirement – passed to employees. There is much to be said both for and against this
The Lessons of First Data Corp’s Suspension of 401(k) Contributions
There is a fascinating story in today’s Wall Street Journal, about First Data Corp. abandoning the practice of making cash contributions to employee 401(k) accounts, as part of cost cutting clearly designed to make the company more profitable (or at least profitable enough) to hold an IPO, which would allow an exit for the leveraged
To Boldly Go Where No Class Action Plaintiff Has Gone Before: Church Plan Class Actions
One of the interesting developments that caught my eye recently, and likely many of yours as well, was the filing of class action complaints challenging whether certain plans were, in fact, church plans for purposes of ERISA and thus, exempt from many of its requirements. This excellent paper on this development, by Wilber Boies and
Cancelling a SERP and the Limits of Preemption
One of the more singularly interesting problems in ERISA litigation for anyone who, like me, greatly enjoys the complexities of civil procedure is the interplay of preemption (which, as we all know, is very broad under ERISA) and removal from state court to federal court. We all know that many plan participants would prefer to
Why the Complexity of Plan Valuation Argues Against Turning Appraisers into Fiduciaries by Regulatory Pronouncement
I have written before, both in short form on this blog and long form for the Journal of Pension Benefits, on my view that it is not necessary to alter the regulatory definition of fiduciary to transform appraisers into fiduciaries. Simply put, there are so many parties who already bear the title of fiduciary and