April 17, 2024

Court appoints independent fiduciary to distribute $597K from abandoned profit-sharing plan to employees of defunct Delaware County mushroom farm

Date of action:           April 15, 2024

Type of action:          Consent judgment and order  

Court:                            U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

April 15, 2024

US Department of Labor announces proposed information collection to build online search tool to help find ‘lost’ retirement savings

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration is proposing to collect information from plan administrators on a voluntarily basis to establish an online search tool to help America’s workers locate lost retirement savings they earned. 

April 4, 2024

US Department of Labor extends comment period for joint request on retirement plan benefits information provided to workers, federal government

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of the Treasury, IRS and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. have jointly extended the comment period soliciting public input on existing reporting and disclosure requirements for retirement plans. 

April 2, 2024

US Department of Labor announces final amendment to ‘QPAM exemption’

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration has released a final amendment to Class Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14, also known as the Qualified Professional Asset Manager Exemption, which permits various parties related to employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts to engage in transactions involving plan and IRA assets.

March 5, 2024

US Department of Labor appoints new ERISA Advisory Council members

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the appointment of five members and leadership for the 2024 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council.

The 15-member council provides advice on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

February 28, 2024

Judge orders former Elmhurst pre-school to reimburse employee retirement, health plans $43K

Date of Action         Feb. 28, 2024

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act default judgment

Company/Owners:    Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning Inc.

                                    Colleen Odegaard

                                    Elmhurst Academy of Early Learning Simple IRA Plan

February 27, 2024

Judgment removes president of defunct Cherry Hill manufacturer as 401(k) plan fiduciary, appoints independent fiduciary to distribute $47K in assets

Date of action:           Feb. 7, 2024

Type of action:          Motion for default judgment granted  by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor on June 15, 2023.

Defendants:               Marlton Pike Precision LLC 401(k) and profit-sharing plan

February 26, 2024

US Department of Labor obtains judgment requiring defunct Westmoreland County company, president to restore $40K to its health plan

Date of action:           Feb. 8, 2024

Type of action:          Motion for default judgment issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor in November 2022.

February 21, 2024

Department of Labor files suit after investigation finds fringe benefit plan fiduciaries misused millions of dollars to pay employer expenses

GREENBELT, MDThe U.S. Department of Labor today filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of the District of Maryland against a company that allegedly mismanaged fringe benefits owed to employees working for at least 54 government service contractors across the United States. 

February 13, 2024

US Department of Labor announces Employee Benefits Security Administration recovered over $1.4B for workers, families, benefit plans

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration today published an overview of its enforcement activities in fiscal year 2023 in a new fact sheet. 

February 6, 2024

US Department of Labor obtains emergency court order to protect retirement plan assets; alleges Pittsburgh company, owner embezzled over $5.5M from plans

Date of action: February 5, 2024

Type of action: An emergency temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The action follows a complaint and motion filed by the U.S. Department of Labor on January 26, 2024.

January 31, 2024

US Department of Labor obtains judgment to recover $100K in retirement funds and interest from Bay Area dentist

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment against Paul G. Fillet DMD Inc. and Dr. Paul G. Fillet for having unlawfully withdrawn more than $85,000 of employees’ retirement money from an employer-sponsored plan and abandoned the plan, preventing two participants from accessing roughly $160,000 in retirement savings.

January 30, 2024

Federal court orders coal producer retirement plan trustees to pay $637K in restitution for unremitted contributions, unlawfully diverted funds

MILTON, WV – The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a consent judgment and order in federal court requiring the trustees of coal producer Blackjewel LLC’s 401(k) plan to pay $637,014 in equitable restitution after an investigation found they violated fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

January 30, 2024

Department of Labor reaches settlement to resolve $1.2M in medical claims unpaid by Revelation Energy LLC health care plan, affiliated entities

MILTON, WV – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has entered into a settlement agreement to resolve more than $1.2 million in unpaid medical claims by the Revelation Energy LLC health care plan based in Milton.

January 23, 2024

US Department of Labor announces amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption filing, processing procedures

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration today announced that it is amending its Procedures Governing the Filing and Processing of Prohibited Transaction Exemption Applications. 

January 19, 2024

Department of Labor issues joint request to help improve retirement plan benefits information provided to workers, federal government

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of the Treasury, the IRS and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.

January 18, 2024

Department of Labor releases proposed regulation on retirement plans and automatic portability transactions when employees change jobs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration released a proposed regulation on automatic portability transactions under SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The goal of automatic portability transactions is to help workers keep track of their retirement savings accounts and improve retirement security by reducing cash-outs when they change jobs.

January 17, 2024

US Department of Labor issues guidance on new emergency savings accounts

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration has issued guidance to improve retirement security through pension-linked emergency savings accounts, part of the implementation of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022.

January 10, 2024

US Department of Labor files suit against defunct Baltimore payroll processing company for failure to remit employee contributions to 401(k) plan

Date of Action:          January 8, 2024

Type of Action:         Complaint

Company:                  iProcess Online Inc. and Chief Operating Officer and Human Resources Director Michelle Leach-Bard