December 11, 2013

US Department of Labor obtains consent judgment in Perez v. LifeCare of Alabama Inc. involving 401(k) plan in Hartselle, Ala.

Date of Action: Dec. 10, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant(s): LifeCare of Alabama Inc. and Susan Clingman-Banks

December 9, 2013

Independent fiduciary appointed to distribute assets of abandoned Specialty Staff Inc. 401(k) Plan in Carmel, Ind.

Specialty Staff Inc. 401(k) Plan in Carmel, Ind.

Date of Action: Dec. 5, 2013

Type of Action: Judgment

Names of Defendants: Theresa A. Hellman and Robin M. Polin, individually and as fiduciaries of the Specialty Staff, Inc. 401(k) Plan; Specialty Staff, Inc.; and the Specialty Staff, Inc. 401(k) Plan located in Carmel, Ind.

December 5, 2013

US Labor Department releases advance copies of 2013 Form 5500 annual report

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation today released advance informational copies of the 2013 Form 5500 annual return/report and related instructions.  Modifications to the Form 5500 and Form 5500-SF and their schedules and instructions for plan year 2013 are described under "Changes to Note" in the 2013 instructions, including:

December 4, 2013

Judge appoints independent fiduciary to distribute nearly $236,000 in assets of Samoa Aviation Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan in Pago Pago, American Samoa

Date of Action: Nov. 21, 2013

Type of Action: Default Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant: Samoa Aviation Inc., Samoa Aviation Inc. 401 (k) Profit Sharing Plan

Allegations: As a fiduciary of the plan, defendant Samoa Aviation Inc. failed to administer the plan, resulting in participants not being able to obtain distributions of their individual plan accounts. The plan had 53 participants and assets totaling $235,693 as of June 30.

December 2, 2013

US Department of Labor obtains consent judgment in Perez v. Covenant Equipment Corp. involving the company’s SIMPLE IRA plan in Rock Hill, SC

Date of Action: Nov. 21, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant(s): Covenant Equipment Corp., doing business as Wholesale Fork Lifts Inc., and Mark Sowka

December 2, 2013

US Labor Department obtains court order naming independent fiduciary for employee benefits plan of defunct Long Island, NY, employer

NEW YORK – Following legal action by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has appointed M. Larry Lefoldt as independent fiduciary to manage the 401(k) plan of the defunct Windswept Environmental Group Inc. of Holtsville. The department filed suit in December 2012, asking the court to appoint an independent fiduciary to administer the plan and distribute its assets to the plan’s participants and beneficiaries.

November 25, 2013

Perez v. Andrew C. Rodabaugh and A.R.E. Machine Products Inc. involving unremitted employee contributions

Date of Action: Nov. 18, 2013

Type of Action: Simultaneous Complaint and Consent Order

Names of Defendants: Andrew C. Rodabaugh, A.R.E. Machine Products Inc. and the A.R.E. Machine Products Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan located in Louisville, Ky.

November 18, 2013

US Labor Department files suit against former chief executive of Baltimore Behavioral Health to restore employee retirement plan contributions

BALTIMORE – The U.S. Department of Labor has sued William Kristen Hathaway, former chief executive officer of Baltimore Behavioral Health Inc. and fiduciary to the company’s retirement plan, for failing to remit employee contributions, in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. 

November 18, 2013

US Labor Department files suit to recover funds for participants in Milwaukee-based Omni Resources Employee Stock Ownership Plan

MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to recover funds from the fiduciaries of Omni Resources Inc., a Milwaukee-based information technology company. The suit alleges that Omni Resources’ plan fiduciaries authorized the sale of the company’s stock to the Omni Resources Employee Stock Ownership Plan for $13.7 million, which far exceeded its fair market value. The sale resulted in personal financial gain to company owner Veronica Mueller, who was also a fiduciary to the plan.

November 15, 2013

US Labor Department files suit to recover losses to and obtain independent fiduciary for White Plains, NY, 401(k) plan

Date of Action: Nov. 13, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Name(s) of Defendants: Mark Pasdon, Oxygen Electronics LLC and the Oxygen Electronics LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan  

November 15, 2013

US Labor Department secures appointment of independent fiduciary for abandoned Boston, Mass. 401(k) plan

Date of Action: Oct. 10, 2013

Type of Action: Default Judgment

Name(s) of Defendant: Invenio Technologies Inc.

November 14, 2013

US Labor Department obtains consent judgment securing the restoration of over $90,000 to Ayer, Mass., SIMPLE IRA plan

Date of Action: November 1, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Judgment and Order

Name(s) of Defendant: Goldsmith, Prest & Ringwall, Inc., Calvin R. Goldsmith and Bruce D. Ringwall

November 8, 2013

EBSA News Release: Administration issues final mental health and substance use disorder parity rule [11/08/2013]

WASHINGTON — The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury today jointly issued a final rule increasing parity between mental health/substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits in group and individual health plans.

November 7, 2013

US Department of Labor files suit to restore more than $123,000 to retirement plan of Attevo Inc. in Cleveland

CLEVELAND –The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint on behalf of the Cleveland-based Attevo 401(k) retirement plan. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division in Cleveland, alleges improper use of pension funds and seeks to restore $123,338.85 to the plan.

November 5, 2013

Judge appoints independent fiduciary to distribute more than $16,000 in assets of Polaris America LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan in Columbus, Ohio

Date of Action: Nov. 4, 2013

Type of Action: Consent Order and Judgment

Names of Defendant: Polaris America LLC; Christopher Filos; and the Polaris America LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

November 1, 2013

US Department of Labor files suit to recover $39,000 in employee contributions to the Welding Unlimited Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan in Agua Dulce, Calif.

Date of Action: Oct. 1, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Welding Unlimited Inc.; David R. Shields; Welding Unlimited Inc. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan

October 31, 2013

EBSA News Release: Judge orders restoration of more than $1.6 million to Sunkist Growers Inc. retirement plans [10/31/2013]

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Sunkist Growers Inc. and fiduciaries for the company's retirement plans were required to restore $1,620,420 in losses to employee benefit plans under the terms of a consent judgment and order. The decision, entered in the U.S.

October 31, 2013

Department of Labor files suit to recover over $44,000 for the retirement plan and health plan sponsored by Sunset Golf LLC in Loudonville, Ohio

Date of Action: Oct. 29, 2013

Type of Action: Complaint

Names of Defendants: Daniel Deighan, Timothy Deighan, Sunset Golf LLC, Revolution Golf LLC, Sunset Golf LLC 401(k) Employee Retirement Plan, and Sunset Golf LLC Group Health Plan

October 23, 2013

EBSA News Release: US Labor Department recovers more than $4 million for employee stock ownership plan [10/23/2013]

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that it obtained a consent order requiring the fiduciaries of the Parrot Cellular Employee Stock Ownership Plan to pay $4,181,818 to the plan. The settlement resolves a suit filed in April 2012 after an investigation by the department's Employee Benefits Security Administration found violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The department alleged that plan fiduciaries caused or permitted the ESOP to purchase Parrot Cellular stock for more than fair market value.

October 22, 2013

EBSA News Release: ERISA Advisory Council to hold open meeting Nov. 4-5 [10/22/2013]

WASHINGTON — A meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council, will take place Monday, Nov. 4 from 1 p.m. — 5 p.m. EST. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in room 4 of suite C-5521, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the meeting will be split into two sessions: the morning session will continue in room 4 of suite C-5521 from 8:30 a.m.