Church pension plans

Just as 2014 brought big rulings on stock-drop litigation and equitable remedies like reformation and surcharge, 2015 is shaping up to be another big year for ERISA litigation, with pending cases involving retiree health benefits, plan fee cases and ERISA's church plan exemption.

The first challenge to the exemption of a religiously affiliated health-care organization’s pension plan from federal regulation to reach the federal appellate courts has drawn the attention of a nonprofit consumer organization, two religious organizations and a nonprofit law firm dedicated to free expression of religion, all of which have filed amicus briefs with the U.S.

A growing number of lawsuits and some key court rulings are making it harder for church-affiliated defined benefit plans to be exempt from federal pension rules.

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Director Joshua Gotbaum plans to step down from the post he has held the past four years.