The latest 401(k) lawsuit brought by the firm for the protection of employees and retirees has been the subject of numerous news articles. On behalf of Ameriprise employees and retirees, Schlichter, Bogard & Denton has filed a lawsuit against Ameriprise accusing the financial planning power house of self-dealing and breach of fiduciary duties under ERISA.
Firm partner Nelson G. Wolff's letter to the National Mariners Association was published in the Association's newsletter to call attention to the details surrounding an important maritime injury case settled by Wolff.
Schlichter Bogard & Denton is gaining national recognition in employee benefits circles. The firm was noticed by the New York Times Oct. 14 for filing a lawsuit against Ameriprise Financial Inc., the largest employer of certified financial employers in the country.
A study published in the British Medical Journal on October 25, 2011 confirms that Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella are at least twice more likely to cause dangerous blood clots than other types of birth control pills.
Late last month, six people, including one current employee, sued Ameriprise Financial, accusing it of stuffing its 401(k) plan with expensive, underperforming mutual funds that came from the company’s own investment management arm. The law firm behind the suit, Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, in St. Louis, now inspires fear and dread in employee benefits circles, since the suit is one of several it has filed against a variety of companies.
In what could be one of the largest verdicts in Grady County in recent history, a jury awarded Plaintiff Terrie L. Smith, Chickasha, $1.75 million for lost earning capacity and medical bills from a March 2009 accident.
Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella also pose an increased risk of gallbladder disease as
compared to other common birth control pills.
DePuy has released the following statement to the public:
"Data recently received by the company shows that more people than expected who received the ASR Hip System experienced pain and other symptoms that led to a second hip replacement surgery, called a revision surgery. For this reason, DePuy Orthopaedics is voluntarily recalling its ASR(tm) XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR(tm) Hip Resurfacing System. This recall means additional testing and treatment may be necessary to ensure the hip is functioning well. In some cases, patients may need additional surgery."
Schlichter Bogard & Denton attorneys tirelessly work to secure the hard earned retirement money of American workers. The firm has litigated class action retirement cases against some of the largest companies in the world. Whether taking a case to trial or fighting aggressively for the best settlement, the attorneys of Schlichter Bogard & Denton have given the common worker a voice in one of the most complicated areas of the law.
LOS ANGELES Energy company Edison International violated its duty of prudence under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by offering three retail mutual funds as investment options in its 401(k) plan rather than their less costly institutional option equivalents, a Los Angeles federal judge has ruled.
Yaz®/Yasmin®/Ocella®
The newest birth control litigation involves Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals who is the manufacturer of Yaz® and Yasmin® birth control pills and Barr Laboratories and Teva Pharmaceuticals who are now the manufacturers of Ocella®, the generic form of Yasmin. In November 2009, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPMDL) granted a petition filed by plaintiffs and created a Yaz®/Yasmin® multidistrict litigation (MDL). All pending cases and all future lawsuits filed in the federal court system will be centralized for discovery purposes in the Southern District of Illinois before Judge David R. Herndon.
A 4 mph jolt translated into a $3.18 million verdict for a Burlington Northern engineer who injured his back. A unanimous St. Louis County jury made the award to John Walsh after a four-day trial. Walsh was injured when another train struck the one he was working on.
Recently, the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict in the amount of $27 million with pre and post judgment interest that Schlichter Bogard & Denton obtained for Angela Martin, widow of St. Louis firefighter Derek Martin, and their three children. Partner Jerry Schlichter tried the case. The Missouri Supreme Court also upheld the verdict, declining further review of the case. In January 2010, the verdict was paid in full with pre and post judgment interest for a total amount of $40.4 million.
LITTLE ROCK - A former worker at the Tyson plant in Pine Bluff who sued the manufacturer of poultry processing equipment after being injured was awarded $1.35 million by a federal court jury at Little Rock Friday.
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy program, petitioned the FDA asking that it pull Ortho Evra from the market.
An injured railroad worker has reached a nearly $2.3 million settlement with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. in St. Louis City Circuit Court.
On March 18, 2008, the federal district court for the Saint Louis area ordered that the lawsuit filed on behalf of 137 Peruvian children poisoned by lead from Doe Run of St. Louis' smelter in La Oroya, Peru, be sent back to and heard in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, where the case originated. The decision is the first victory for these children, who have suffered profound injuries caused by exposure to toxic substances emitted from the lead smelter. The case centers on the conduct of Doe Run of St. Louis and the other named defendants in operating the smelter in disregard of the health and safety for the children living nearby. Doe Run maintains its headquarters in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Doe Run is owned by the Renco Group, a New York company, and billionaire Ira Rennert, who are among the defendants in the case.
Timothy Sorrell, a railroad trackman, was injured on November 1, 1999 when the dump truck he was driving for his employer, Norfolk Southern Railway Company, was forced off a county road by a worker driving a truck. Mr. Sorrell's truck, filled with 15 pounds of asphalt, rolled off the road causing him to sustain neck and back injuries. We tried Mr. Sorrell's case in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis and a jury awarded Mr. Sorrell $1.5 Million in damages on November 7, 2003.
A $4.5 million settlement has been reached in the case of a Union Pacific railroad employee who suffered severe injuries, including an above-the-knee amputation of his leg, when he became trapped beneath the wheel of a locomotive and dragged for 20 feet or more.
Influence can flow from the financial resources to buy a competitor or create and market a new product. It can stem from a new idea that is — or will be — widely adopted or authoring a piece of legislation that changes the industry. It can also be as simple as holding the respect of one's peers so one's ideas can be widely spread and acted upon.
On September 19, 2007, after a 4½ week trial, Schlichter Bogard & Denton obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $27 Million for Angela Martin, widow of St. Louis firefighter Derek Martin, and their three children in a case tried in St. Louis by Jerry Schlichter and assisted by Brad Wilmoth. The $27 Million verdict consisted of $12 Million in compensatory damages to the family and $15 Million for punitive damages against Survivair Respirators, Inc. and Bacou-Dalloz, S.A. The punitive damages were assessed for aggravating circumstances to punish the companies for their conduct and deter future misconduct. The jury found defendants 100% at fault.
On October 1, 2007, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of another Schlichter Bogard & Denton client, affirming a $6 million judgment for an injured Union Pacific track worker, thus ending a 4 year long saga. The employee had been struck in the hand by an AMTRAK train after he was forced to get out of his Union Pacific track machine on an adjacent track to fix a defective clamp. The worker required surgeries to his hand, shoulder and spine, resulting in permanent disability. During the years leading to the trial, the railroads denied responsibility and accused the worker of contributory negligence. After overwhelming evidence of the railroads' negligence was introduced at trial, the defendants attempted admit partial responsibility. However, the jury held the railroads to be 100% responsible.
The days of the overpriced 401(k)-type retirement plan are numbered. The word is out. Congress will soon hold hearings on program expenses, and the U.S. Labor Department will issue guidelines on making fees more transparent.
Jerome Schlichter and his six-lawyer St. Louis law firm have amassed quite a courtroom record over the past two years — 12 jury trials against railroad companies and 12 victories.
St Louis law firm, Schlichter Bogard & Denton, receive top 3 railroad injury verdicts.