The Biggest Benefits Rulings from the 1st Half of 2022

Litigation attorney Lindsey Camp was quoted in a Law360 article about some of the biggest benefits rulings from the first half of 2022. In particular, Ms. Camp discussed a case where the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit refused to compel arbitration for a proposed class of Cintas Corp. workers alleging mismanagement of the company's 401(k) plan, holding that while each worker had signed employment agreements that contained arbitration provisions, those didn't apply to ERISA claims made on behalf of the entire plan.

Ms. Camp commented that she is waiting to compare the Sixth Circuit's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit's decision in another ERISA arbitration case that she said "hinged on consent" regarding plan claims.

Additionally, Ms. Camp described the Cintas decision as "an interesting case, because I think ultimately, this supports the defendant's position for the enforceability of these plan arbitration provisions." She said the decision found the plan hadn't consented to arbitration, but that didn't conflict with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling in Dorman v. Charles Schwab Corp.

READ: The Biggest Benefits Rulings from the 1st Half of 2022 (Subscription required)