ERISA and Other Employee Benefits Related Litigation

The attorneys in Snell & Wilmer’s ERISA and Employee Benefits Litigation Group represent clients in litigation and government investigations disputes involving health, welfare, and pension benefits.

These disputes often arise in federal court, and we have substantial experience in representing clients in federal courts around the country, as well as state court and private arbitration. We also advise clients regarding potential claims and avoiding litigation, as well as representing clients in government investigations involving these issues.

Our clients include employee benefits plans, their employer sponsors, and fiduciaries, and service providers in the complex world of health, welfare, and retirement plans.

We work closely with the transactional practitioners in our Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group, who are well-versed in the latest regulatory developments in this always changing area of the law.  We also work with lawyers in the Labor, Employment and OSHA and Corporate and Securities practice groups to ensure our attorneys take a comprehensive approach to addressing your problems.
Some of our recent experience includes the following:

• Defending class actions in federal and state court against employer sponsors and plans alleging breaches of fiduciary duty, including claims for recalculation of pension benefits, treatment of pre-existing medical conditions, and payment of medical claims.
• Defending individual claims alleging breach of fiduciary duty, prohibited transactions, and delinquent employer contributions.
• Representing plan sponsors, fiduciaries, administrators, and service providers in claims for benefits for health and welfare plans, including claims for payment of health claims and short-term and long-term disability claims.
• Advising companies, boards of directors, and non-profit organizations in disputes involving executive compensation agreements.
• Representing plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and administrators in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings with plan beneficiaries.
• Defending claims against government and church employee benefit plans that are not subject to ERISA.
• Advising and defending companies in claims involving withdrawal liability from multi-employer benefits plans in a variety of industries.
• Defending clients in audits and investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, including responding to subpoenas and interviews with the Department.
• Conducting internal investigations, including document review and interviews with management, regarding the handling of benefits claims and compliance with ERISA.