Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Deere & Co Wins ERISA Class Action Lawsuit

A federal district court in Iowa recently ruled that Deere & Co. did not violate ERISA when it redesigned its health benefits for certain retirees. The retirees alleged in the lawsuit that the company reneged on its promise of full health coverage. However, the district court found, in Brubaker et al. v. Deere & Co., that the company and its summary plan documents made it clear to the plaintiffs that their retiree health benefits could be amended, modified or terminated.

For a more detailed discussion of this case, see Employee Benefit News:
(http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/judge-sides-with-employer-in-lawsuit-over-health-benefits-2682190-1.html).

Cornell University Discrimination Lawsuit Discussed in Inside Higher Ed

Today's edition of Inside Higher Ed has an interesting discussion of a recent decision from the United States Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit, Leibowitz v. Cornell University.

See (http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/27/cornell)

The Court of Appeals held that the failure to renew a non-tenured professor's employment can constitute an "adverse employment action" within the meaning of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1974 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Welcome

Welcome to The Benefits and ERISA Observer, a blog devoted to legal issues and recent developments in the ERISA and employee benefits arena. This blog was created and is maintained by the law firm of Bailey & Ehrenberg PLLC, a boutique employee benefits and employment law firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.