In the first reported ERISA decision post-Windsor, the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania held (in Cozen O’Connor, P.C. v. Jennifer Tobits) that a same-sex spouse is to be treated as the decedent’s lawful spouse for purposes of entitlement to death benefits under a retirement plan. In reaching its decision, the court relied on Windsor and reasoned that ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code (Code) provide the definition of spouse; ERISA and the Code incorporate valid state law; and, under Illinois’ civil union statute, Illinois recognizes lawful same sex marriages solemnized in other jurisdictions.

Section 3 of The Defense of Marriage Act has been ruled unconstitutional. Please join Proskauer’s DOMA Task Force on Wednesday, July 17th at 1:00pm EST for a webinar discussing the impact of the Court’s decision on employer-provided benefits. Registration details are listed below.

Please follow these steps to register for the webinar or webinars you

The Defense of Marriage Act, which defines “marriage” and “spouse” as excluding same-sex partners, was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court today in a 5-4 decision on equal protection grounds.  Stay tuned for information about our upcoming Webinar regarding the impact of the Court’s decision on employer-provided benefits.  We will also post a link