
Plaintiffs Allege AME Church Plan Agreed to ERISA Status
The consolidated class action complaint suggests the church plan at issue is an ERISA plan because the summary plan document clearly states that it is.

Settlement in Dignity Health Church Plan Lawsuit Gets Preliminary Approval
Given a third shot, a judge found the parties finally got the settlement terms right.
$30 Million Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over DB Plan Funding
The case concerns the St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island Retirement Plan, which the lawsuit says failed to be a 'church plan' under ERISA.
Close, but No Cigar for Approval of Dignity Health Case Settlement
On a second motion for preliminary approval of the settlement agreement in the church plan case, a federal judge still found a conflict between one subgroup of the class and the overall class of plaintiffs.
Supreme Court Hands Back Puerto Rico Catholic Pensions Case
The high court decided that a court in Puerto Rico had no jurisdiction to order the seizure of property from Catholic entities in order to fulfill a court judgment to pay $4.7 million in pension benefits.
Pension Plan Suit Against Archdiocese Will Move Forward
Among other things, the archdiocese of Newark was accused of filing for "church plan" status to avoid having to fund the pension plan of hospital employees.
Appellate Court Finds Summary Judgment Was Hasty in Church Plan Challenge
A district court granted summary judgment to OSF Healthcare System, but the 7th Circuit found there are genuine issues of material law that warrant more discovery in the case.
St. Elizabeth’s Wins Suit Challenging Church Plan Status
Using other court decisions, including one from the Supreme Court, the medical center's plan was found to fall under the "church plan" definition in ERISA.
Rhode Island Moves Closer to Church Pension Transparency
Both chambers of the state assembly have passed legislation that would require religious organizations that manage pension plans to send regular updates on the financial health of the pensions to plan participants.
Supreme Court Asked to Review Puerto Rico Court Actions in Church Plan Case
A judge ordered the Archdiocese of San Juan to pay $4.7 million to teachers whose pension plan had been terminated, and the Archdiocese claims that since then, the Puerto Rico government has seized assets from entities not related to the plan.
Another District Court Decision for Dignity Health Church Plan Lawsuit
The interim decision is a mixed bag that falls more in favor of the plaintiffs, but it by no means concludes the litigation—not least because plaintiffs have already filed a second amended complaint.
Church Failed to Provide Retirement Benefits to Former Employees
Its former executive pastor and his wife presented evidence showing that supplemental retirement benefits were improperly taken in November 2011 and placed in the church's building campaign.
Operating Under Rules of ERISA Does Not Mean Church Plan Elected to Be ERISA Plan
In a series of private letter rulings, the IRS has determined that plans in question, including a 403(b) plan, are church plans under the definition clarified in a Supreme Court decision.
Bill Aims to Expedite Payments to Participants Affected by Health System DB Plan Lawsuits
The legislation helps protect defendants who settle lawsuits from claims from co-defendants.
Lawsuit Argues Health Provider Plan Lost Its Church Plan Status
According to the compliant, the defined benefit (DB) plan was required to adhere to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) funding rules.
Judge Keeps Former Committee Members in ERISA Church Plan Suit
Former committee members—who were not members at the time the complaint was filed—filed motions to remove themselves as defendants in the case; some of the motions were granted, but a couple were denied.