The equitable remedies prong of ERISA was, for many years, a place where theoretically good claims went to die: courts were wary of providing expansive recovery under it, and thus a plaintiff who could not fit a claim within the confines of the denial of benefits or breach of fiduciary duty causes of action under
Equitable Relief
My Journal of Pension Benefits Article on Operational Competence after Amara
For years, in speeches and articles, I have preached the gospel of what I have come to call “defensive plan building,” which is the process of systemically building out plan documents, procedures and operations in manners that will limit the likelihood of a plan sponsor or fiduciary being sued while increasing the likelihood that, if…
How to Look Smart About McCutchen and Heimeshoff Without Really Trying
I have often joked that, to seem intelligent at social events, a person really just has to have two things handy – the first, a Noam Chomsky reference, and the second, a Shakespeare quote, preferably from a lesser play. If you are good, you can find a way to fit one or the other into…
Back to the Future on a US Airways Flight: Notes on Oral Argument in McCutchen
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Posted in Equitable Relief
I don’t know how many of you have had a chance to read, or have any interest in reading, the transcript of the argument yesterday in McCutchen, but its actually fairly entertaining. For one thing, it is clear that everyone – litigants, the justices, you name it – are a little flummoxed by the…
McCutchen at the Supreme Court
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Posted in Equitable Relief
US Airways, Inc. v. McCutchen is scheduled to be argued at the Supreme Court tomorrow, the next round in the on-going investigation by the Court of the scope of equitable relief available under ERISA. In this instance, the Court must consider the extent to which traditional limitations on equitable remedies are incorporated into ERISA.
On the Problem of Remedying Errors in Providing Plan Information
Here is a great fact pattern that illustrates a number of recurring problems in ERISA litigation. In this case (Tocker v. Kraft Foods North America, Inc. Retirement Plan), decided by the Second Circuit last week, a mid-level benefits manager worked on accommodating the needs of a terminally ill plan participant, by working out…
The Dam Breaks: Tussey v. ABB
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Tussey v ABB, Inc., an excessive fee and revenue sharing case decided on the last day of March after a full trial before the United States District Court for the District of Western Missouri, is a remarkable decision, imposing extensive liability for acts involving the costs of and revenue sharing for a major…
Lurie on Amara By Way of BenefitsLink By Way of the Workplace Prof
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Posted in Equitable Relief, ERISA Statutory Provisions
Amara: Why Reformation Is Better Than Estoppel
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Posted in Equitable Relief
Here is a worthwhile, almost Cliffnotes (do they still exist?), guide to the ruling in Amara from the American Lawyer. It continues what is quickly becoming the norm for published pieces discussing the case, which is to present the opinion in an “on the one hand, on the other hand fashion,” by describing…
Leave It to a Non-Lawyer to Cut Through the Fog (Or What Amara Actually Means)
By Stephen Rosenberg on
Posted in Equitable Relief, ERISA Statutory Provisions
Ran into John Lowell, who writes the Benefits and Compensation with John Lowell blog, the other evening, and we discussed his post on Cigna v. Amara, in which he referenced the fact that no one really knows for certain what the decision will mean in the long run, but he had never seen so…