News
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents for the IFEBP 2020 NYSUT Member Benefits Trustee Education & Wellness Workshop
Katherine Hesse, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, spoke at the three-part Member Benefits Trustee Education & Wellness Workshop for the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), an affiliate of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). Among the other speakers were Daniel Brice and Ginger LaChapelle, both from Blitman & King, LLP in New York.
The first segment, presented by Ms. Hesse and Mr. Brice, was titled “Overview of Trustee Responsibility”. They discussed the fiduciary responsibility of benefit plan trustees, governance, administration, and how to communicate with plan professionals and participants. Ms. Hesse and Mr. Brice also presented the second segment, “Health Care Trends and Developments”. Several important facts were discussed, including healthcare costs, a legal and legislative update, Rx drugs (specifically the importation issues), mental health, and communication requirements and best practices. Finally, Ms. Hesse and Mr. Brice were joined by Ms. LaChapelle for the last segment, “Trustee Best Practices and Open Forum”. During this, the presenters discussed business improvement strategies, strategic planning, virtual board meetings, privacy and security, and a brief COVID-19 update.
Ms. Hesse practices primarily in labor, employment and employee benefits law. She serves as counsel to Fortune 500 companies, emerging businesses, government, tax-exempt organizations and large Taft-Hartley and governmental trusts. She advises clients on employment and benefits issues, and has litigated employment and benefits cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies and arbitrators. She led her team of attorneys to be named the only firm in New England and one of only 11 in the United States to the special ERISA fiduciary litigation panel for one of the world’s largest insurance companies. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Foundation and as Chair of its Government Liaison Committee. Ms. Hesse, a CEBS Compliant ISCEBS Fellow, was inducted into the new ISCEBS Hall of Fame in 2018. She received her B.A. degree from Smith College and her J.D. degree from the Boston University School of Law.
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Prevails in U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Attorney Felicia Vasudevan, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, received a favorable decision on behalf of her client, Marshfield Public Schools. The Plaintiff appealed the district court’s judgement that upheld a decision of the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (“BSEA”). However, as the notice was filed more than 30 days after entry, the First Circuit ultimately dismissed the appeal for being untimely. The Plaintiff also appealed the district court’s order, denying her motion to vacate. Read More
New Features of Public Participation at School Committee Meetings
Following our Alert from March 16, 2023, Civility is Dead – The Supreme Court Rules Municipal Control of Public Speak Limited to Reasonable Time/Place/Manner Restrictions, which discussed the holding to the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Barron v. Kolenda and the Town of Southborough (SJC-13284), we promised to bring you more detailed guidance on developing a Public Speak policy for your public body or municipality. The Barron case involved a constitutional challenge to the Town of Southborough’s public comment policy, which attempted to impose a code of civility on members of the public who participated in public comment before public bodies. In Barron, the court interpreted the state constitution to mean that public bodies may request, but not require, that public commentators be respectful and courteous. Instead, a public body may set restrictions on reasonable time, place, and manner comments to ensure that the meeting retains an orderly and peaceable manner.
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