In International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund v. Florida Glass of Tampa Bay, Inc., 2026 WL 191344 (4th Cir. Jan. 26, 2026, No. 25-1312), the Fourth Circuit held that the “contingent” proof of claim a multiemployer pension plan filed in a contributing employer’s bankruptcy did not constitute a “notice and demand” triggering
DOL Issues Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-01 Signaling a Major Shift in ERISA Enforcement Priorities: What Plan Sponsors and Fiduciaries Need to Know
On April 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) issued Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2026-01 (FAB) which sets out four enforcement priorities and guiding principles that are designed to ensure that EBSA’s enforcement “is fair, even-handed, responsive, and focused” and its enforcement authority is used in a manner…
Ninth Circuit Clarifies Withdrawal Liability Industry Rules
By Neil V. Shah & Alyssa Swanstrom on
The Ninth Circuit recently issued a pair of decisions clarifying how the rules governing withdrawal liability apply to employers in certain industries. In Walker Specialty Const., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs. of the Constr. Indus. & Laborers Joint Pension Tr. for S. Nev., No. 24-1560, 2026 WL 21743 (9th Cir. Jan. 5, 2026), the…
DOL Issues Proposed Rule and Safe Harbor Intended to Facilitate the Inclusion of Alternative Assets in 401(k) Plans
By Adam Scoll, Russell Hirschhorn & Alyssa Swanstrom on
On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a much-anticipated proposed regulation (“Proposed Rule”) that would facilitate the inclusion of alternative assets within designated investment alternatives (“DIAs”) offered under participant-directed defined contribution plans such as 401(k) plans (“DC Plans”).
The Proposed Rule implements President Trump’s recent Executive Order (discussed here) directing…