Ninth Circuit Decision in AT&T Case Could Open Up Potential New Attacks on Retirement Plan Fiduciaries: What Fiduciaries Need to Know

DYLAN D. RUDOLPH and JOSEPH C. FAUCHER,  August 10, 2023 On August 4, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit against AT&T Services Inc. and its retirement plan fiduciaries (together, “AT&T”), reversing a district court’s order granting summary judgment in AT&T’s favor. This decision, which is published and binding on cases located […]

Rash of Recent Lawsuits Focus on BlackRock Indexed Target Date Options: Even Low-Cost Funds Are Being Attacked

DYLAN RUDOLPH and JOSEPH FAUCHER, September 29, 2022  Over the past several weeks, a single law firm, Miller Shah, LLP, has filed nearly a dozen lawsuits against fiduciaries of defined contribution plans that offer the BlackRock LifePath Index target date funds (“BlackRock Funds”). The cases represent a shift in approach relative to earlier waves of […]

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Revives Two 401(k) Fee Cases, Potentially Making It More Difficult for Plan Fiduciaries to Obtain Early Dismissal

 DYLAN RUDOLPH and CLARISSA KANG, April 21, 2022  In a rather surprising move, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued two short decisions within the span of a week, which reversed lower court dismissals in 401(k) fee cases brought against Salesforce.com, Inc. and Trader Joe’s Company. A motion to dismiss challenges the quality of a […]

Arbitrability of ERISA Fiduciary Breach Cases

JOSEPH C. FAUCHER and DYLAN D. RUDOLPH, February, 2019  This article was first published by the Journal of Pension Benefits: Issues in Administration, Design, Funding, and Compliance, Autumn 2018, Vol. 26, No. 1. Although the viability of arbitration rather than litigation in ERISA fiduciary breach claims remains to be seen, there are several considerations for employers who […]

Second Circuit Breathes New Life Into Company Stock Litigation

JOSEPH C. FAUCHER and DYLAN D. RUDOLPH, February, 2019   In offering their own company stock as a plan investment option, retirement plan fiduciaries are subject to the same duty of prudence that governs the selection, retention and removal of any other investments. Before 2014, litigation against plan fiduciaries that offered their companies’ stock as an […]

The Pleading Standard Applicable to Claims Involving Private Company ESOPs: Does Dudenhoeffer Apply or Not?

JOSEPH C. FAUCHER AND DYLAN R. RUDOLPH, DECEMBER 20, 2017   This article analyzes how Dudenhoeffer applies in cases involving stock of closely held companies. It was first published by Wolters Kluwer in the Journal of Pension Benefits, Summer 2017, Vol. 24, No. 4. In our last article, “ERISA Stock Drop Cases Since Dudenhoeffer: The Pleading Standard Has Been Raised,” […]

ERISA Stock Drop Cases Since Dudenhoeffer: The Pleading Standard Has Been Raised

JOSEPH C. FAUCHER AND DYLAN R. RUDOLPH, DECEMBER 13, 2017   This article analyzes the Dudenhoeffer pleading standard and “stock drop” cases. It was first published by Wolters Kluwer in the Journal of Pension Benefits, Spring 2017, Vol. 24, No. 3. I. Introduction Before 2014, most of the federal Courts of Appeals applied a “presumption of prudence” when […]