Wells Fargo Settles ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Suit for $32.5M

After a Minnesota federal district court judge denied its motion to dismiss a proposed ERISA class action suit in May, Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to settle the case by paying $32.5 million. The employees claimed that Wells Fargo had violated ERISA by mismanaging their 401(k) plan. More specifically, the workers alleged that Wells Fargo had breached its fiduciary duty by offering expensive proprietary investment Read More

PBM Regulation Drastically Increases in Multiple States Following Supreme Court Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, 141 S. Ct. 474 (2020), upheld an Arkansas law that regulated pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). This landmark ruling rejected a trade group's argument that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempted the state law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Eighth Circuit soon followed suit by upholding a North Dakota law Read More

Federal Judge Grants Stay in Amazon Delivery Driver Suit Pending SCOTUS Arbitration Decision

A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has granted Amazon.com, Inc.’s motion to stay a lawsuit alleging that the company wrongfully withheld tips from contract delivery drivers. The court determined that a decision in Southwest Airlines Co. v. Saxon, a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning exemptions under the Federal Arbitration Act, impacts a serious legal Read More

GA Federal Court Dismisses Race Bias Suit Against Hospital

A Georgia federal judge granted summary judgment in favor of Tift Regional Medical Center in a suit involving claims of racial discrimination and retaliation in firing a former employee. Brian Edwards alleged that Tift had fired him after complaining about racially insensitive remarks by a supervisor. The court found that Edwards could not rebut the hospital’s claim that he was fired for a nondiscriminatory reason, Read More

Accenture Subsidiary Settles Overtime Pay Dispute

N3 LLC, a subsidiary of Accenture LLP, has reached a settlement with a group of inside sales employees to resolve allegations that it unlawfully withheld overtime pay from them. The parties reported to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia that they were working on a written settlement, but they did not disclose the settlement terms to the court. Austin, the named plaintiff, and other Read More

Women’s Soccer CBA Talks to Continue After Missed Deadline

The U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. National Women’s National Team Players Association failed to meet a March 31 deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The parties need to reach a new agreement that equalizes pay between female and male soccer players, to finalize a $24 million equal pay settlement, in order to end a long-running gender discrimination claim. March 31 was the expiration date of Read More

Imperial Pacific Casino Moves to Dismiss Unequal Pay Suit

A Hong-Kong based company has filed a motion to dismiss an employment discrimination lawsuit based on unequal pay. Turkish employees allege that Imperial Pacific Casino paid them less than their Taiwanese counterparts under company policies. In Genc et al. v. Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC et al., case number 1:22-cv-00002, which is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Read More

Hotel Must Pay Workers Severance While Challenging NYC Law

A federal judge has denied a motion for a preliminary injunction by the Roosevelt Hotel, which sought to avoid paying its laid-off workers while challenging a law requiring them to do so. The ruling came in the case of RHC Operating LLC v. City Of New York et al., case number 1:21-cv-09322, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The judge ruled that New York City can continue to enforce the law Read More

Unprecedented Wave of Trials Approaches in Opioid Crisis Litigation

Landmark verdicts and settlements already have occurred in widespread opioid litigation against big pharmaceutical companies. That trend continues as those companies brace for yet another massive wave of trials in upcoming weeks. Calendars from March to May in some of the country’s most significant courts are packed with six opioid trials reminiscent of the first American opioid trials that began almost three years Read More

May 2022 | Talking Through Partial Plan Termination Relief

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