As retirement plans have come to hold an increasing proportion of the nation’s wealth, the number of lawsuits claiming violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) has mushroomed. Goodwin Procter has defended — and defeated — a variety of high-profile ERISA claims at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in administrative and arbitral proceedings. Our clients in these matters have included asset managers, record-keepers, bank trustees, insurance...more »

As retirement plans have come to hold an increasing proportion of the nation’s wealth, the number of lawsuits claiming violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) has mushroomed. Goodwin Procter has defended — and defeated — a variety of high-profile ERISA claims at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in administrative and arbitral proceedings. Our clients in these matters have included asset managers, record-keepers, bank trustees, insurance companies, plan sponsors, plan administrative and investment committees, and corporate directors and other individual plan fiduciaries.

In each case, we field a multi-disciplinary team with the expertise needed to achieve the optimal result. Our experienced ERISA trial lawyers draw regularly on the substantive knowledge and background of lawyers in our ERISA & Employee Benefits, Financial Services, Labor & Employment, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Tax and other practice groups. With our expertise in financial services and capital markets, we are uniquely positioned to defend ERISA litigation that challenges the way in which retirement plan assets are managed and administered.

We have represented clients — and secured significant victories — in a wide array of cutting-edge capital market ERISA litigation and regulatory investigations, involving, for example, the investment and valuation of ERISA retirement plan assets, so-called “excessive fee” litigation, employer stock drop cases, and the effect of a change of corporate control on ERISA plans. Our ERISA litigators have secured significant victories outside of the capital market context as well, such as successfully representing a major insurance company in multi-district class action litigation challenging the way in which HMOs provide care under ERISA-governed health and welfare plans, and defeating cases and class actions challenging the denial or modification of benefits under ERISA plans. less »