Honeywell’s Lawyer Fee Bid in 401(k) Forfeiture Suit Put on Ice

A federal judge who dismissed litigation over Honeywell International Inc.'s handling of 401(k) plan forfeitures declined to award the company attorneys’ fees, saying she would wait for the results of a pending appeal.

Judge Evelyn Padin’s Tuesday order—issued three weeks before the case is scheduled to be argued in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit—rejected the aerospace technology company’s request for about $80,000 in attorneys’ fees. Honeywell had to pay these fees to respond to an amended complaint that regurgitated failed legal theories, and requiring the plaintiff employees to foot the bill would “deter future plaintiffs ...