Ninth Circuit Holds No Breach of ERISA Fiduciary Duty for Miscalculating Pension Benefits and State Law Negligence Claims Are Not Preempted by ERISA
In Bafford v. Northrop Grumman Corp., No. 20-55222, __F.3d__, 2021 WL 1419055 (9th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021), the Ninth Circuit decided two important issues involving ERISA-imposed fiduciary duties and ERISA preemption.
Plaintiffs-Appellants are participants in Northrop Grumman’s pension plan (Plan), which is administered by an Administrative Committee (Committee). In the years leading to their retirement, Plaintiffs received incorrect online statements about what their retirement benefits would be under the Plan from Hewitt (now Alight…