San Francisco – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment restoring more than $46,000, including interest, to participants of a 401(k) profit-sharing plan of now-defunct Power & Data Technology of San Jose, California. The judgment resolves a lawsuit against the company and its former president, Michael D. Williams of Gilroy, California, over losses that resulted from mismanagement and misuse of plan assets.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued former Fort Lauderdale construction company First State Development and its chief executive officer to restore losses owed to the company’s 401(k) plan.

Miami – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued fiduciaries of the Orrin H. Cope Produce Inc. Employees’ Profit Sharing Plan to restore more than $3,780,000 in plan assets improperly used to benefit the company.

“The Labor Department will take legal action to protect workers’ benefits whenever, and wherever, violations occur,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “Our suit puts plan officials on notice that the department will not tolerate the diversion of workers’ hard-earned retirement assets for the benefit of employers.”

Denver – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Colorado Division of Insurance will co-host a free health law compliance assistance seminar April 21 and 22 in Denver.

Binghamton, New York – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring Kellogg Auto Supply Co. Inc. of Cortland, New York, and company president and general manager Richard Coats to restore $149,573 to the company’s employee stock ownership plan.

Elkins, West Virginia – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Byron Goldizen, president of defunct Bryco Bore and Pipe Inc., formerly located in Petersburg, West Virginia, for violating his fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act to the company’s SIMPLE IRA plan.

The suit alleges that Goldizen failed to remit employee contributions to the plan from June 2006 through December 2008. The company ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 7 on June 8, 2009.

Washington – The U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services will hold the first meeting of the Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program and Employer Sponsored Coverage Coordination Working Group on April 26 in Washington at the Omni Shoreham, 2500 Calvert St. NW.

The working group will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT to hear public testimony from witnesses. The meeting is open to the public. The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 requires the departments to jointly establish the CHIP Working Group.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has granted an exemption allowing the Ford Motor Co. to transfer company securities to a voluntary employee beneficiary association trust that funds a new health plan established to provide health benefits for the company’s retirees. The new health plan will cover in excess of 285,000 retirees and their dependents, and a small number of active employees.

Washington — The U.S. Department of Labor today released updated model notice packages to enable group health plans and employers to provide notice on the availability of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act continuation coverage premium reductions under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through March 31.

New York – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order appointing an independent fiduciary to manage the abandoned 401(k) plan of defunct Project Solutions Inc. of Rochester, New York.

Delaware, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Carl Stover and Stover Industries Inc. in Delaware, for allegedly using employee contributions owed to the company’s 401(k) plan to pay the operating expenses of the company, in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

Denver – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Denver against the former president and owner of IXP Inc., Fruita, Colo., for abandoning the company's 401(k) plan as its trustee after the company ceased operations in January 2009. IXP Inc. installed gasoline distribution pipelines.

San Francisco – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained consent judgments providing for restitution of more than $12 million from Clair R. Couturier Jr., David R. Johanson and Robert E. Eddy, plan officials and service providers involved with the employee stock ownership plan sponsored by The Employee Ownership Holding Co. of Stockton, California, and Fife, Washington.

Tampa, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Medipharm-RX Inc., a former Tampa pharmacy, and two plan administrators to restore losses to the pharmacy's 401(k) plan.

U.S. Department of Labor’s ERISA Advisory Council announces first meeting of 2010

Washington – The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will hold its first meeting of 2010 on March 22 in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room S-2508.

Waupun, Wis. – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued a trustee of the Westra Construction Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for alleged violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) that resulted in losses to the company-sponsored ESOP.

Las Vegas – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Nevada Division of Insurance will host a free health law compliance assistance seminar on March 16 and 17 in Las Vegas at the College of Southern Nevada, Charleston Campus, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd., Room D-101.

Cherry Hill, New Jersey — The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a court order appointing Jacqueline Carmichael as the independent fiduciary of the 401(k) plan of ABC Wireless Inc., a defunct company formerly located in Cherry Hill. The court order gives Carmichael authority to terminate the plan and distribute plan assets to participants and beneficiaries.

Washington – Today, at a White House forum hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, the U.S. Department of Labor announced two new rules designed to enhance retirement security and transparency for the millions of workers covered by 401(k), pension and other retirement arrangements. The announcement was part of the White House Middle Class Task Force's year-end report, which the vice president released at this morning's event.

U.S. Labor Department sues to protect Utah retirement assets in bankruptcy proceeding

Salt Lake City – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an adversary complaint in federal bankruptcy court in Utah to prevent Victor Jay Miller from discharging $26,964.51 in employee contributions owed to the Allwest Sales & Service Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan.