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The NAM filed an amicus brief supporting a petition for certiorari that asks the Supreme Court to reverse an appellate decision that will expose companies to class-action lawsuits targeting their employee retirement plan offerings. A group of former employees sued their former employer under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, claiming the company violated its fiduciary duty under ERISA by offering actively managed mutual funds in the company’s 401(k) plan that ultimately underperformed certain index funds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit concluded that the burden of proof rested on the company to disprove loss causation under ERISA, reasoning that a company “can easily insulate itself” from liability by selecting index funds rather than active funds in its 401(k) plan. This holding will encourage class-action plaintiffs to target companies that offer 401(k) plans and will make it more difficult for companies to defend against such litigation. In support of a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court, the NAM’s amicus brief identifies the deluge of ERISA litigation already facing companies and explains how the 1st Circuit’s decision will harm plan sponsors and their participants. On January 13, 2020, the Court denied certiorari.