Everyone seems to be talking about last month’s Supreme Court decision in Tibble v. Edison International, even though its holding wasn’t all that momentous. But I’m not complaining. As an ERISA lawyer, I love when ERISA developments hit mainstream news because, for at least one brief fleeting moment, there is a connection between the ERISA world in which I dwell and the rest of the world.
That said, some question whether Tibble warrants the level of attention it is generating. Some say Tibble merely affirms a well-known principle of ERISA law—that is that an ERISA fiduciary has an ongoing duty to monitor plan investments. Others see Tibble as a reflection of enhanced scrutiny of the duty to monitor plan investments, as well as recognition of a statute of limitations that facilitates enforcement of that duty.
Specifically, the Supreme Court found in Tibble that because retirement plan sponsors, as fiduciaries, have a “continuing duty to monitor trust investments and remove imprudent ones,” plaintiffs may allege that a plan sponsor breached a duty of prudence by failing to properly monitor investments and remove imprudent ones. Further, the Court found that such a claim is timely as long as it is filed within six years of the alleged breach of continuing duty.
Facts: Tibble arose when current and former employees of Edison who were participants in a 401(k) savings plan offered by Edison brought suit against the