On July 25, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas stayed the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently-issued final rule, set to take effect September 23, 2024, which would amend the definition of an “investment advice fiduciary” for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (the 2024 Rule).  One day later, in a separate case challenging the 2024 Rule, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas also stayed the 2024 Rule on similar grounds.  Both decisions stay the effective date of the 2024 Rule indefinitely while the cases are pending.Continue Reading Two Federal District Courts Stay DOL Fiduciary Rule

A recent U.S. District Court ruling dealt a major setback to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) guidance regarding rollover recommendations as fiduciary investment advice under ERISA. In American Securities Association (ASA) v. U.S. Department of Labor, Case No. 8:22-cv-330 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 13, 2023) (the “ASA Case”), the court vacated a critical part of