Plan Distribution Suit Dismissed on Technical Grounds
October 12, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A California federal court judge has thrown out a lawsuit by the domestic partner of a dead participant in the Charles Schwab &...
Compliance
Court Rules that ERISA Preempts State Statute
October 12, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Citing a Supreme Court decision as precedent, an Ohio Court of Appeals has ruled that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts...
$1.8 Million Awarded in Discrimination Case
October 12, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A California jury has awarded a former executive of software manufacturer Sybase Inc. $1.8 million over charges of racial discrimination.
American Jobs Creation Act Includes Non Qual Changes
October 12, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - By a vote of 69 to 17, the US Senate approved HR 4520 on Monday, which will, among other things, change the tax...
Miller Bill Would Block Pension 'Dumping'
October 12, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A prominent California Democrat has introduced a measure that would block companies that don't fund their pension plans or convert them to cash...
Form 5500 Florida Filers Get Hurricane Extension
October 8, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The US Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has extended the deadline for filing Form 5500 and Form 5500 EZ because...
Court: Kidney Function an ADA 'Major Life Activity'
October 7, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A former Wal-Mart employee who lost her job after suffering kidney failure can sue the giant retailer because "cleansing the blood and processing...
Court: Life Insurance Co. Not an Administrator despite SPD Claim
October 7, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Despite being named as an 'administrator' in a health plan's summary plan document (SPD), a life insurance company cannot be sued under the...
PBGC Head Forecasts 'Significantly Increased' Shortfall
October 7, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)'s deficit should be "significantly increased" from its record $11.2 billion 2003 shortfall, the agency's director said in...
Bush Signs Fourth Tax Bill in Four Years
October 6, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - President Bush, in the midst of a hard-fought reelection campaign, stopped Monday in Iowa to sign his fourth tax cut in as many...
Class Action Granted Against Merrill Lynch in WorldCom Case
October 6, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A US District Court judge has granted class action status to WorldCom Inc. 401(k) plan participants, who allege that the plan's directed trustee...
Steelworkers to Appeal Shutdown Benefits Ruling
October 6, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) will challenge a federal appeals court ruling from last week that denied shutdown benefits to thousands of...
DoL Files Suit Against Jersey Fund Trustees, Providers
October 6, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of Labor (DoL) has launched a legal attack against the trustees and services providers of the H.E.R.E. Local 4-69 Health Fund...
US Supreme Court Declines Review of ESOP Payout Lawsuit
October 5, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A former employee of a Marietta, Georgia polyurethane systems supplier has won the right to pursue his corporate fiduciary breach claims over the...
Appellate Court Shuts Down Shutdown Benefits Claim
October 4, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A US appeals court ruled Friday that the federal government is not required to pay employees of a failed manufacturer "shutdown pensions" that...
PBGC Expands Service Hours
October 4, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has expanded its customer service hours by 2 hours a day.
GAO Releases Report on Federal Privacy Rule Experiences
October 4, 2004 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Assessing the first year under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) federal health information privacy rule, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)...
PWBA Issues Final Rule Increasing Three CMPs
January 22, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of Labor's Pension Welfare Benefit Administration (PWBA) has announced increases in three civil monetary penalties (CMP) for ERISA noncompliance.
US High Court Turns Away ERISA Lawyer Fee Case
January 22, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - US Supreme Court justices have turned down a request for them to decide whether ERISA cases favor awarding lawyer fees to prevailing parties.
PBGC Reunites 15,000 With "Lost" Pension Benefits
January 22, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has located nearly 15,000 workers who were owed more than $61 million in pension benefits since launching...