Co-chair of the Employee Benefits Litigation Practice Group, Deidre A. Grossman has extensive experience defending plan sponsors,  fiduciaries and service providers in a wide range of ERISA cases across the country, in both single plaintiff and class actions.  

The breadth of Deidre's practice is apparent from the nature of the lawsuits she has handled in which favorable outcomes were recently obtained, including:

• A putative class action alleging ERISA breach of fiduciary duty based on alleged misrepresentations about pension benefits, where the Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment
• A putative class action by former employees on medical leave advancing ERISA benefit and Section 510 claims, which was dismissed without discovery in a case of first impression
• Parallel 401(k) "stock drop" suits, one by an independent fiduciary and one by the U.S. Department of Labor, involving complex company securities, which were resolved through settlement after years of significant discovery and motion practice
• A declaratory judgment action brought by fund trustees to enjoin a withdrawal liability arbitration commenced by an employer  

She also has represented plan sponsors and fiduciaries in matters involving:

• Pension plan terminations
• Prohibited transaction allegations
• Claims for improper denial of benefits
• Claims advanced by independent contractors
• Challenges to the modification and termination of retiree benefits
• State law claims preempted by ERISA

When she is not litigating, Deidre counsels clients on how to administer their employee benefit plans with a view to avoiding litigation under ERISA's fiduciary and disclosure provisions. Deidre is a contributing author for The Benefits Law Journal and a rewrite and contributing author for Employee Benefits Law, a publication of the Employee Benefits Committee of the American Bar Association.

In 2001, Deidre relocated to London, where she qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales and practiced U.K. pensions law/litigation at one of the “Magic Circle” firms. She resumed her ERISA litigation practice in the U.S. in 2005.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Member, Employee Benefits Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section - American Bar Association