Photo of Charles F. Seemann III

Charles F. Seemann III is office managing principal of the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice emphasizes ERISA class action defense and employment law, but encompasses a wide variety of litigation and counseling matters as well.

Charles's primary practice focus includes the defense of ERISA plans and plan fiduciaries at both public and private companies, multi-employer plans and plan fiduciaries, and financial institutions providing services to ERISA plans. Routinely, he defends large ERISA class actions, COBRA class actions, and ESOP litigations.  In addition to ERISA, Charles has extensive experience in a wide range of employment matters, including stock-option disputes and executive compensation litigation; wage and hour advice and litigation; and private litigation and regulatory investigations in discrimination, hostile-environment and similar matters. Charles is admitted to practice in both Louisiana and Texas, but has represented clients in complex and class action matters in numerous jurisdictions, including New York, California, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, and Washington D.C.

Since 2012, Chambers USA has listed Charles among the nation’s pre-eminent lawyers, noting his “strong reputation” as a “real gentleman” among his peers, as well as remarks that “he thinks outside the box” and “knows everything that’s ever happened in a case.”

Charles's activities include regular speaking and writing engagements around the country, on topics including class-action litigation, ERISA fiduciary litigation and risk management, employment law, and best practices for in-house counsel. He also is active in community and civic affairs and donates his time and professional services to numerous causes. While attending law school, he served as articles editor of the Louisiana Law Review.

A New York district court recently summarily dismissed, with prejudice, a 401(k) plan participant’s putative class action complaint alleging breaches of fiduciary duty.  Falberg v. Goldman Sachs Grp., Inc., No. 19-cv-9910, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167064 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 14, 2022).  The Plaintiff alleged that the Plan fiduciary-Defendants breached their duties of prudence and loyalty

Numerous Fortune 500 companies around the country have recently seen a barrage of cases alleging that notices required under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) fail to provide all information required by COBRA. Class action cases filed against high-visibility defendants in Georgia, Michigan, Florida, and elsewhere allege the companies violated federal law when they

On October 12, 2021, Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, Inc. (“Aon”) defeated a class action in the Western District of North Carolina brought by nearly 250,000 current and former Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (“Lowe’s”) employees who were participants in Lowe’s 401(k) retirement plan (the “Plan”). Plaintiffs alleged that Aon and Lowe’s breached their fiduciary duties of loyalty

Can a former employee serve as a class representative for ERISA claims when she has signed a general release agreement and has waived her right to participate in class actions? According to a recent decision by the District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, the answer may very well be “no.”

That court dealt

The District Court for the Southern District of Ohio recently dismissed an ERISA putative class action lawsuit asserting fiduciary duty claims based on allegations of unreasonably high administrative fees and relatively higher-cost, underperforming funds offered in TriHealth, Inc.’s 401(k) plan (the “Plan”).

Plaintiffs were TriHealth 401(k) Plan participants and beneficiaries. On behalf of a putative

Recently, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin granted a Motion to Dismiss, dismissing ERISA breach of fiduciary duty claims, failure to monitor claims, and prohibited transaction claims in a putative class action involving Oshkosh Corporation’s 401(k) Plan. The plaintiff supported those claims with allegations of excessive recordkeeping fees, excessive share