Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Wells Fargo Faces ERISA Lawsuit Over 401(k) Plan Asset Use

Posted on July 10th, 2024 at 11:51 AM
Wells Fargo Faces ERISA Lawsuit Over 401(k) Plan Asset Use

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A new proposed class action has been filed in the US District Court in the Northern District of California, alleging that Wells Fargo and its associated committees violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

InvestmentNews reports that the complaint centers on the misuse of employer contributions forfeited by employees who left before being fully vested. The lawsuit claims Wells Fargo used over $2 million of such forfeited assets in 2022 to offset its future contributions to its $45.8 billion 401(k) plan, instead of using the funds to reduce expenses for plan participants.

This lawsuit is part of a trend, with similar cases filed against other employers like HP, Honeywell, Clorox, Mattel, Intuit, and Thermo Fisher Scientific. In a related case against Qualcomm, the lawsuit survived a motion to dismiss, marking a significant step in this line of litigation.

According to InvestmentNews, this type of litigation is relatively novel. The outcome of these cases remains uncertain, and while the Qualcomm case has progressed past a motion to dismiss, this does not necessarily predict success for other lawsuits.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Hiring Eccleston Law has been one of the best career decisions I have made and this "investment" to maintain my sterling regulatory record has been returned many times over.  If you are in a situation where you've been unfairly accused, don't hesitate to talk with Eccleston Law. They are the best.

Thomas C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1773930497 Law
March 19, 2026
Stifel Faces Proposed ERISA Class Action Over 401(k) Fund Performance

According to ThinkAdvisor, Stifel Financial now faces a proposed class action lawsuit that accuses the firm of mismanaging its profit sharing 401(k) retirement plan in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

1773851287 Law
March 18, 2026
LPL and Ameriprise Notify Clients of Cybersecurity Incidents Involving Account Access

LPL Financial and Ameriprise Financial Services recently notified certain clients about separate cybersecurity incidents that exposed private information and, in one case, led to unauthorized trading activity.

1773760408 Law
March 17, 2026
Bankruptcy Court Orders Emerson Equity to Produce Records in Inspired Healthcare Case

A federal bankruptcy court in Fort Worth has ordered Emerson Equity to produce documents connected to the sale of private securities issued by Inspired Healthcare Capital, according to InvestmentNews.