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 Paul G. Fillet for having unlawfully withdrawn more than $85,000 of employees’ retirement money from an employer-sponsored plan and abandoned the plan, preventing two participants from accessing roughly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 

January 9, 2024

US Department of Labor files suit against defunct Maryland computer forensics company for unremitted contributions to 401(k) profit sharing plan

Date of Action:          Jan. 8, 2024

Type of Action:         Complaint

Defendants:               Jones Dykstra and Associates Inc.

December 19, 2023

US Department of Labor proposal reinforces consumer health care protections

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal by its Employee Benefits Security Administration intended to support critical health care protections for consumers by rescinding its 2018 rule, “Definition of Employer – Association Health Plans.” 

November 17, 2023

US Department of Labor releases informational copies of 2023 Form 5500 Series Annual Return, Report

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the IRS and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. today released informational copies of the 2023 Form 5500, Form 5500-SF, IRS Form 5500-EZ, IRS Form 5558 and their related instructions online. 

November 15, 2023

US Department of Labor announces online hearing on proposed retirement security rule, related proposed exemption amendments beginning Dec. 12

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration will hold an online hearing beginning Dec. 12 on the agency’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary,” and related proposed prohibited transaction exemption amendments, published in the Federal Register on Nov. 3, 2023.

November 14, 2023

Federal judge appoints independent fiduciary to distribute $103K in assets to participants in defunct Ohio Irish pubs’ retirement plan

Date of Action         Nov. 1, 2023

Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act default judgment

Company/Owners:    Claddagh Development Group LLC, operating as Claddagh Irish Pubs

Claddagh Development Group LLC Employee Savings Trust

October 31, 2023

US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to protect retirement savers’ interests by updating definition of investment advice fiduciary

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Employee Benefits Security Administration has proposed a retirement security rule updating the definition of an investment advice fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

October 26, 2023

Judge appoints independent fiduciary to distribute $781K in assets to participants in defunct Michigan company’s retirement plan

Date of Action         Oct. 26, 2023

 Type of Action:         Employee Retirement Income Security Act default judgment

Company/Owners:    Associated Community Services Inc. 

October 5, 2023

Department of Labor reaches settlement with New York insurer, 3rd-party health plan administrator to end ‘cross-plan offsetting’ practice

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with EmblemHealth Inc., a New York-based insurer and third-party administrator of employment-based group health plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, resolving claims that Emblem breached its fiduciary duties under federal law by engaging in a practice known as “cross-plan offsetting.”

September 29, 2023

US Department of Labor reaches settlement with United of Omaha Life Insurance Co. to reform its evidence of insurability practices

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a settlement with United of Omaha Life Insurance Co. that requires the company to revise how it administers its requirement that participants in employer-sponsored life insurance plans provide proof of good health — referred to as evidence of insurability — before obtaining coverage in certain instances. 

September 28, 2023

Federal court orders Louisville technology services provider, retirement savings plan to repay $575K to plan participants

Date of action: September 28, 2023

 

Type of action: Employee Retirement Income Security Act consent order and judgment 

 

Names of defendants:           Sypris Solutions Inc. and