In Stiso v. Intl. Steel Group, 2015 WL 3555917 (6th Cir. June 9, 2015), the court reversed a ruling by the district court that dismissed a claim for make-whole relief, and directed the district court “to grant an equitable remedy [against the employer and insurer] equivalent to the promised increase in benefits to plaintiff.” The … Continue Reading
We previously reported on Gabriel v. Alaska Electrical Pension Fund, 755 F.3d 647 (9th Cir. 2014), which addressed limits on make-whole relief under 1132(a)(3), and affirmed judgment for the plan fiduciary. That decision was a divided one, with a partial dissent by Judge Berzon. In December, the panel withdrew its earlier decision, and replaced it … Continue Reading
In 2011, the Supreme Court issued a major ERISA decision, Cigna Corp. v. Amara, 131 S.Ct. 1866 (2011), holding that courts could not reform an ERISA plan as part of a claim for benefits under 29 U.S.C. 1132(a)(1)(B), but could do so as an equitable remedy under 29 U.S.C. 1132(a)(3). The case involved a situation … Continue Reading
In 2013, the 6th Circuit made waves in the ERISA world when it held that LINA could be ordered to disgorge almost $3 million in profits it allegedly made on benefits it had improperly withheld, on top of payment of the benefits themselves. A few months later, the court granted LINA’s petition for en banc … Continue Reading
In Santomenno ex rel. John Hancock Trust v. John Hancock Life Ins. Co. (U.S.A), — F.3d –, 2014 WL 4783665 (3d Cir. Sept. 26, 2014), the plaintiffs, who were participants in employer-sponsored 401(k) benefit plans, claimed that John Hancock, an administrator that provided investment services to plans, breached its fiduciary duty by allegedly charging the … Continue Reading
In Gabriel v. Alaska Electrical Pension Fund, 755 F.3d 647 (9th Cir. 2014), a venal claimant met a not-very competent plan administrator, and the result was a helpful discussion of limits on make-whole equitable claims. [Note, on December 16, 2014, the Ninth Circuit panel withdrew this opinion, and replaced it with a new one, at … Continue Reading
In a recent decision involving fiduciary duties in Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), the Supreme Court emphasized an important limit on the pre-eminence of the plan document. Recent Supreme Court decisions, primarily in the welfare benefit plan context, have emphasized the primary importance of the plan document in establishing a fiduciary’s obligations and a participant’s … Continue Reading
It’s not often that an ERISA issue gets prominent play in the press, but a recent article by Gretchen Morgenson is an exception. A Lone Ranger of the 401(k)’s began: The arithmetic could not be simpler. The more fees you pay in your 401(k) plan, the less cash you’ll have for retirement. Still, fees hidden … Continue Reading
The Sixth Circuit has just taken an “unprecedented and extraordinary step to expand the scope of ERISA coverage” (in the words of the dissent) by affirming a judgment directing a disability insurer to pay about $900,000 in improperly denied benefits plus disgorge an additional $3,800,000, representing profits it allegedly made on the benefits. I agree … Continue Reading
ERISA requires fiduciaries to follow a prudent person standard regarding investment decisions. For plans requiring investment in the employer’s stock, often called Employee Stock Ownership Plans, or ESOPs, courts have developed a presumption that the investment in employer stock is prudent. A recent 9th Circuit case has addressed the limits of that presumption. Harris v. … Continue Reading
I will be speaking in an upcoming live phone/web seminar, “ERISA Equitable Remedies After McCutchen and Amara” scheduled for Wednesday, July 10, 1:00pm-2:30pm EDT. Because you are a reader of this blog, you are eligible to attend this program at half off. As long as you use the links in this post, the offer will … Continue Reading
Life insurance plans, accidental death and dismemberment plans, and disability plans often exclude coverage for losses that occur while the participant is intoxicated, or where the loss is intentionally self-inflicted. Though these exclusions are often very clear, they are often the subject of contentious disputes over what, exactly, they mean, or were intended to mean, … Continue Reading
Revenue sharing is an arrangement under which a mutual fund in which pension assets are invested pays a portion of its fees to the entity that services the pension plan. In Leimkuehler v. American United Life Ins. Co., 713 F.3d 905 (7th Cir. 2013), the Seventh Circuit held that the arrangement did not violate ERISA … Continue Reading
It is well-established that and ERISA pension plan administrator has a fiduciary duty to invest plan assets prudently. This duty is called, unimaginatively, the “prudent-man rule” – or perhaps the gender-neutral “prudent-person rule.” This rule, which existed long before ERISA was enacted, is enshrined in the text of the statute, which requires fiduciaries to use … Continue Reading
It is a problem that ERISA causes family-law and estate practitioners. A person participates in an employee pension plan, and has designated her spouse as beneficiary. There is a divorce, and the spouse waives any claim to the pension as part of the property settlement, but no Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is ever issued. … Continue Reading
