ERISA Stock-Drop Class Actions: As One Door Opens for Plaintiffs, Another Closes

In ERISA stock-drop class actions, plaintiffs routinely allege that their employers breached a duty of prudence by permitting employees to invest their retirement assets in their company's stock.  Until today, defendants typically defended against such claims by invoking a judicially crafted presumption that offering company stock was prudent.  Today, in Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer, No. 12-751 (pdf), the Supreme Court rejected that presumption.

But all hope is not lost for stock-drop defendants.  Much of the work previously done by the presumption of prudence will now be done by the substantive requirements of the duty of prudence.  The Court offered guidance as to what plaintiffs must demonstrate to survive a motion to dismiss—and the standards suggested by the Court will not be easy to satisfy.