Nebraska Farming Supply Company Loses Appeal Over Health Plan

A Nebraska farming supply company lost its appeal accusing the companies that marketed and administered its employee health coverage of operating illegal kickback schemes, when the Eighth Circuit ruled Monday that the defendant companies either didn’t act as ERISA fiduciaries or didn’t breach their duties under the statute.

Central Valley Ag Cooperative failed to show that most of the defendant health plan administrators acted as fiduciaries under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in the course of managing the cooperative’s health benefits, the appeals court said.

And the sole company that acted as an ERISA fiduciary by exercising discretion over ...