By Porter Wright on The United States Supreme Court ruled on March 1, 2016 in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company that a Vermont state statute that requires health care plans to file informational report with the state is preempted by ERISA to the extent it is intended to apply to self-funded plans. Writing on behalf of the Court … Continue Reading
By Greg Daugherty on Clients frequently ask us if severance payments are subject to tax withholding. The answer is that they clearly are subject to income tax withholding, but there has always been some ambiguity about the circumstances in which they are subject to FICA tax withholding. The IRS has always taken the position that severance payments are not subject to … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on In a 5-4 opinion written by Justice Kennedy, the United States Supreme today held in United States v. Windsor that the provisions contained in the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) that exclude same-sex relationships from the definition of marriage and spouse for federal law purposes is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. In doing so, Justice Kennedy has highlighted once again his role as a critical swing vote on the Court. He also has rendered a decision that seems likely to have far reaching implications for the design and administration of employee benefit plans in this country.
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By Porter Wright on Health care reform just got a clean bill of health from the United States Supreme Court. The Court today ruled on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("PPACA"), and generally upheld the legislation in a 5-4 decision written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on On Wednesday, March 28, the Supreme Court wrapped up three days of oral arguments related to the constitutionality of certain portions of the health care reform legislation.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 27 heard oral arguments on the most pivotal issue concerning the implementation of the health care reform legislation. The issue before the Court on Tuesday concerned the constitutionality of the individual mandate that is at the heart of the recent legislation (i.e., the obligation imposed on all covered individuals, effective in 2014, to either purchase health care coverage or pay a penalty for refusing to do so). … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The health care reform legislation finally is having its day (well, actually several days) in court — in the United States Supreme Court no less. Other than for those fixated on the upcoming Final Four (unfortunately, the author’s team already has been eliminated and thus I am free to write this) or on the triumphant … Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The table now is set for the last chapter in our long (and, to many, excruciating) debate over the constitutionality of the health care reform legislation enacted in 2010. At a conference last Thursday, November 10, the members of the United States Supreme Court voted to consider an appeal of one of the lower court decisions dealing with the constitutionality of the landmark legislation.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on The Obama administration was faced with a deadline to ask for an en banc review by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of a decision that declared the health care reform legislation's individual mandate unconstitutional. Under applicable court rules, such a request had to be filed by Monday, September 26. A decision to seek such a review would have caused further delay, and very likely would have delayed the timing of a decision on the legislation by the Supreme Court until after the 2012 national elections.… Continue Reading
By Porter Wright on On our sister blog – Employer Law Report – we recently blogged about an infrequent ERISA surprise from the US Supreme Court, in CIGNA v. Amara, and now we have a second ruling from the Supreme Court in that case, granting Amara certioria and remanding. This is a procedural twist that is more interesting to lawyers than … Continue Reading
