J. Christian Nemeth
Subscribe to J. Christian Nemeth's PostsJ. Christian (Chris) Nemeth provides legal counsel on complex commercial litigation and government investigations, including ERISA matters, financial and banking cases, business torts and breach of contract actions. Chris is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s ERISA Litigation group and works closely with the Firm’s Employee Benefits department on all types of Litigation matters, Department of Labor investigations and similar issues. Read Chris Nemeth's full bio.
Takeaways from a Recent COBRA Notice Class Action Settlement
By J. Christian Nemeth, Alden Bianchi and Joseph Wasserkrug on Sep 12, 2023
Posted In Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
There has been a flurry of class action lawsuits and settlements relating to the deficiency of required election notices under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). The notices provide employees and their beneficiaries who participate in an employer’s group health plan with the option to elect to continue their coverage following a COBRA qualifying...
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A Light in the Dark: Seventh Circuit Helps Clarify New Pleading Standards for 401(k) Fee Cases
By William Hameline, J. Christian Nemeth and Diane Morgenthaler on Sep 29, 2022
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
A recent US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit case supplies answers to many questions left open in 401(k) fee litigation cases after the US Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year in Hughes v. Northwestern University. Specifically, to survive a motion to dismiss in the Seventh Circuit, the recent ruling in Albert v. Oshkosh...
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ESOP Litigation: Latest Trends and Questions
By J. Christian Nemeth on Jul 6, 2022
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
On May 6, 2022, McDermott Partner Chris Nemeth delivered a presentation during the 2022 TEA National Conference titled “ESOP Litigation: Latest Trends and Open Questions.” His presentation focused on recent significant employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) court decisions and emerging litigation trends in the ESOP industry. Chris and his co-presenter touched on the enforceability of...
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Internal Trustee Fiduciary Liability
By J. Christian Nemeth on Jan 12, 2022
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Privacy and Data Security, Retirement Plans
What are an employee stock ownership plan’s (ESOP) internal trustee’s fiduciary duties? What are some of the most common liability areas for trustees? And how can trustees prevent common liability pitfalls? In this presentation, McDermott Partner J. Christian Nemeth offers insight into fiduciary duties, standards and best practices. Access the slides.
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Illinois Federal Court Dismisses ERISA Claims Against 401(k) Fiduciaries
By Richard J. Pearl and J. Christian Nemeth on Aug 5, 2020
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) requires plan fiduciaries to act prudently and loyally when making decisions about the plan. In Martin v. CareerBuilder, LLC, a federal district court held that the complaint’s allegations about expensive recordkeeping costs and imprudent investment options failed to give rise to an inference that the defendants...
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The Biggest Benefits Rulings of 2020: Midyear Report
By J. Christian Nemeth on Jul 29, 2020
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans, Retirement Plans
The US Supreme Court took up several Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) cases this term, handing down both a major loss and a substantial win to employees looking to sue their employers over retirement plan mismanagement. In a recent Law360 article, McDermott Partner Chris Nemeth discusses these decisions. “It’s going to be really interesting...
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Class Certification Denied in ERISA Health Coverage Lawsuit
By Elizabeth M. Rowe, J. Christian Nemeth and Richard J. Pearl on Nov 12, 2019
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
A federal district court denied class certification to health plan participants who claimed the plan promised them lifetime benefits. The court found too many individualized questions about what the plan told each participant, and the claims could not be resolved on a class-wide basis. Fitzwater, et al. v. Consol Energy, Inc., et al., No. 2:16-cv-09849...
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Tyll v. Stanley Black & Decker: When Plan Ambiguity Cost an Employer $4 Million
By Elizabeth M. Rowe, Jacob Mattinson and J. Christian Nemeth on Sep 12, 2019
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Health and Welfare Plans
An employer learned the full cost of ambiguity when a Connecticut federal district court agreed with an employee’s widow that the word “maximum” was ambiguous in the company’s life insurance plan, thus making the widow entitled to an additional $4 million in benefits. This decision serves as a warning for employers sponsoring insured benefits. Access...
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Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to ESOP Transaction
By J. Christian Nemeth and Richard J. Pearl on Aug 13, 2019
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Fiduciary and Investment Issues
In Lee v. Argent Trust Co., the court dismissed ERISA claims challenging an ESOP stock transaction because the plaintiff, who “fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the” ESOP transaction, did not allege that she suffered any injury. This decision is important to educate other courts about economics, particularly in cases where plaintiffs rely on little more than...
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Big ERISA Decisions on the Horizon—SCOTUS to Review Third ERISA Case this Term
By Brigid McCarthy, Brian Tiemann, J. Christian Nemeth and Richard J. Pearl on Jul 23, 2019
Posted In Benefit Controversies, Employee Benefits, Fiduciary and Investment Issues, Retirement Plans
The US Supreme Court recently agreed to review the Eighth Circuit’s decision in Thole v. US Bank, in which the Eighth Circuit held that participants in an overfunded defined benefit pension plan lack standing to sue for fiduciary breaches under ERISA. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case—the third ERISA case accepted by the court...
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