Pension Litigation Over ‘Segal Blend’ Heats Up in Sixth Circuit

Simmering litigation over how to calculate pension withdrawal liability is heading for a reckoning in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, with several industry players urging the court to bless a common calculation method that some employers criticize as dramatically increasing their pension obligations.

The appeals court on Tuesday received supporting briefs from a multiemployer pension fund, a coordinating committee representing pension funds, and Segal Group Inc., the consulting firm that created the pension calculation method being challenged by the case.

The briefs urge the court to defer to a pension actuary’s decision to calculate ...