Rhode Island Hospital Pension Isn’t Church Plan, Judge Rules

A Rhode Island hospital pension plan at the center of a long-running legal battle hasn’t qualified as an ERISA-exempt “church plan” since at least 2013, a federal judge ruled, resolving a lingering question affecting various church-connected entities after other defendants settled.

The St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island Retirement Plan didn’t meet the statutory requirements for church plan status during the relevant time period, because it wasn’t maintained by a “principal purpose organization” affiliated with a church and primarily tasked with managing employee benefits, Judge William E. Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island ...