July 28th, 2017

​US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Opinions
Jones v. Singing River Health Services Foundation

Docket: 16-60550
Opinion Date: July 27, 2017
Judge: Edith H. Jones
Areas of Law: ERISA

This appeal concerned objections to the settlement of class actions that arose in the wake of a financial crisis involving SRHS and its benefits pension fund. The Fifth Circuit held that the terms of the Settlement Agreement as they affect Plan participants should have been more thoroughly examined prior to the district court's approval; the district court improperly limited its consideration to the hospital's ability to pay while ignoring a transparent explanation of the settlement's consequences for the class members; and thus the court vacated and remanded for further consideration of the enumerated issues.