Because ERISA trumps most state laws that relate to employee benefit plans, both pension and welfare, the question was whether Maine’s law required employers to provide a benefit that would be subject to ERISA.
On May 25, 2018 U.S. District Court Judge Jorge L. Alonso rendered a decision in Divane v. Northwestern University granting defendants’ motion to dismiss.
Once Upon a Time… in the 1980’s to be more specific… there were a lot of hostile acquisitions of publicly traded corporations. Grumman Corporation was the target of one of these hostile take-overs; Mr. Bierwirth was its CEO. The aggressor was LTV Corporation.
Once Upon A Time, a long, long time ago, a Northern California labor union and its participating employers established a “Pension Fund” to provide retirement benefits to union members and their beneficiaries. The Pension Fund was an employee benefit plan subject to ERISA.
Effective relationships between investors and advisors are built on trust. That trust is grounded in a commitment by the advisor to act solely in your best interests. But how can you be sure that the person you are entrusting not only embraces their commitment but is fully qualified to fulfill it?
In a 2015 class action that struck terror in the hearts of colleges and universities across the country, TIAA-CREF’s own employees – participants of its 401(k) and retirement plans – sued TIAA