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On May 22, 2017, Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta announced in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that the DOL would not issue another delay of the “fiduciary rule,” and that it was set to generally become effective on June 9, 2017. As we now know, certain provisions of the fiduciary rule went into effect on that date, with others being delayed until July 1, 2019. However, the fiduciary rule remains under attack in the courts. Two notable appellate court decisions were issued within days of one another, and both were decided by three judge panels. One case upheld narrow provisions of the fiduciary rule, and the other effectively completely invalidated the rule. Shortly after the second decision, the Department of Labor announced that it would not enforce the fiduciary rule “pending further review.”
Continue Reading The Fate of the Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule Could Be Uncertain

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has filed a proposal with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to delay implementation of the following exemptions under the fiduciary rule from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019:

  • Best Interest Contract Exemption (PTE 2016-01)
  • Class Exemption for Principal Transactions in Certain Assets Between Investment Advice Fiduciaries

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On May 22, 2017, Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta announced in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that the DOL will not issue another delay of the “fiduciary rule,” set to become generally effective on June 9, 2017. Secretary Acosta stated on Monday evening that “[w]e have carefully considered the…

A court in the Western District of Virginia held that a lawyer working as a Senior Trust Officer for a fiduciary to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan could be personally liable to workers who claim they overpaid for their employer’s stock purchased by the employer’s ESOP. Hugler v. Vinoskey, 2017 BL 145574, W.D. Va., No. 6:16-cv-00062, 5/2/17. 
Continue Reading Lawyer’s Role in Challenged ESOP Transaction May Have Caused Him to be an ERISA Fiduciary

In Erwood v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., Civil Action No. 14-1284, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56348 (W.D. Pa. 2017), a Federal Judge ruled after a bench trial that WellStar Health System Inc., the plan administrator of a Group Life Insurance Program (“Plan”), breached its fiduciary duty “by misrepresenting and failing to adequately inform [plaintiff] of the need or the means to convert two group life insurance policies purchased by her now-deceased husband[.]”

Plaintiff initially asserted claims for benefits (under 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B)) against the Plan and Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”), and for breach of fiduciary duty (under 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(3)) against WellStar and LINA. The court granted summary judgment dismissing the benefits claim, but denied summary judgment on the fiduciary duty claim. Plaintiff and LINA subsequently settled, leaving WellStar the sole defendant for trial, with the sole claim of breach of fiduciary duty.

The Plaintiff is the widow of a neurosurgeon who was employed by WellStar. The Plaintiff’s husband purchased life insurance policies as part of the Plan. The Plaintiff’s husband was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, forcing him to take FMLA leave, which subsequently became an approved claim under WellStar’s long term disability (“LTD”) plan. While her husband was on disability, plaintiff told WellStar that she had questions about her husband’s benefits, and WellStar set up a meeting with a benefits representative familiar with the Plan. The Court found that WellStar repeatedly assured plaintiff and her husband that “all [of their] coverage [is] going to remain the same[.]” A subsequent mailing by WellStar disclosed that conversion of life insurance coverage would be necessary after 36 weeks of leave, but did not include forms or more information about conversion, or the date by which conversion was required. After plaintiff’s husband’s death, LINA denied her claim under the Plan on the ground that the coverage had lapsed.
Continue Reading ERISA Plan Administrator’s Failure to Notify Beneficiary of Life Insurance Conversion Rights Breaches Fiduciary Duty

As ordered by President Trump in a presidential memorandum (the “Memorandum”) on February 3, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a 60-day delay to the “fiduciary rule,” which revised the definition of “fiduciary” for retirement investment advice purposes. The rule was originally set to become effective on April 10, 2017; however, after receiving…