On April 15, 2022, participants in the U.A. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 22 Pension Fund filed a petition for panel and en banc rehearing of the Second Circuit’s ruling in favor of the pension plan’s decision to retroactively require plan participants to choose between either ceasing their post-retirement employment or foregoing early retirement benefits. See
Cashida N. Okeke
Cashida N. Okeke is an associate in the Greenville, South Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses exclusively on representing management in a broad range of employment law matters through both litigation as well as preventive advice and counseling.
Cashida has litigated cases involving both federal and state employment laws, including claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour issues. She has also helped clients defend against denial of benefits claims brought under ERISA and has represented employers in proceedings before various administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.
Before joining Jackson Lewis, Cashida was an associate at a nationwide law firm, where she practiced in the areas of business litigation, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, and complex e-discovery.
While attending law school, Cashida served as Associate Editor in Chief of the ABA Real Property Trust and Estate Law Journal.
Court Rules Separation Agreement’s Covenant Not to Sue Bars ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claim on Behalf of Plan
In an order issued on October 15, 2021, United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash from the Northern District of Georgia granted an employer’s Motion for Summary Judgment and ruled that plaintiff’s separation agreement with a release and covenant not to sue precluded him from bringing an ERISA class action for breach of fiduciary duties…