Hare v. David S. Brown Enterprises, LTD.
Hare v. David S. Brown Enterprises, LTD. (Sup. Md.): On March 7, 2025, Cohen Milstein and the Public Justice Center submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court of Maryland in support of petitioner Katrina Hare in Hare v. David S. Brown Enterprises, LTD. The case revolves around Katrina Hare, an elderly and disabled African American woman who was denied housing by a landlord because she did not meet its minimum income requirement of $47,700 a year, even though her Housing Choice Voucher would have covered all but $126 of the rent. The Circuit Court of Baltimore County ruled in favor of the landlord and claimed the denial was not discriminatory.
Providence Health Services Church Plan Litigation
Griffith v. Providence Health & Services, et al. (W.D. Wash.): Cohen Milstein represented more than 73,000 employees at Providence Health Services, who alleged that the non-profit healthcare conglomerate and its subsidiaries improperly claimed that the Providence Health & Services Cash Balance Retirement Plan qualified as a “Church Plan” under ERISA. Plaintiffs further claimed that if it was a “Church Plan,” then it did not comply with the many protections afforded to pension beneficiaries under ERISA. On March 21, 2017, the court granted final approval of a landmark $351 million settlement.
Bon Secours Church Plan Litigation
Hodges, et al. v. Bon Secours Health System, Inc., et al. (D. Md.): On December 21, 2017, the court issued an order and final judgment granting final approval of a $98.3 million settlement. Plaintiffs alleged that Bon Secours Health Plan improperly defined seven defined benefit pension plans as “Church Plans,” which are exempt from ERISA, and for breaching their fiduciary responsibilities in managing the plans under ERISA. Plaintiffs further alleged that application of the Church Plan exemption to the Bon Secours Plans violated the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. This settlement is unique not only for covering the total amount the plans that were underfunded but also for the fact that it was reached while three similar Church Plan/ERISA exemption cases, also led by Cohen Milstein, were consolidated before and ultimately granted review by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Probationary Federal Employees Appeals
Probationary Federal Employees Appeals (M.S.P.B.): Cohen Milstein and co-counsel represent probationary federal employees in class action appeals against 20 federal government agencies for unlawfully terminating them from their respective jobs. The appellants include those who were terminated in mass layoffs by the Trump Administration. Allegedly, the government agencies failed to perform the mass terminations in accordance with proper procedures—namely, the requirements for conducting reductions in force (RIFs) of federal workforces. The appellants seek full restoration to their jobs and backpay on behalf of themselves and the putative classes they represent.