about alan sandals
Alan M. Sandals has been a practicing attorney since 1980. Since 1986, he has concentrated his practice in the field of class and individual litigation to protect employee and retiree rights to pensions and other benefits. He has continued this focus for the past 38 years.
He is a graduate of Haverford College (B.A. 1976) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., with Honors, 1980). He is a native of Connecticut who has spent most of his adult life and legal career in Philadelphia.
At the start of his career, he concentrated on class action litigation at the Philadelphia law firm of Berger & Montague, P.C. He founded his own firm in 1997. In 2017 he moved his physical office to its current Connecticut location.
He is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest recognition possible in the legal industry, for his professionalism and ethics. He also was recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the field of employee benefits until 2017, when he moved his physical office to its current Connecticut location. Because of his experience, he has been a frequent panelist and lecturer who teaches ERISA litigation issues. This experience includes both presentations to federal judges, at programs sponsored by the Federal Judicial Center, and presentations to other lawyers, at national, state and local legal education programs since the 1990’s.
Alan Sandals has acted as lead and co-lead counsel in numerous ERISA class action cases in courts around the country, particularly litigation based on ERISA fiduciary duties. The quality of this representation has received specific favorable comment from several of these courts. In a settled employment class action in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Judge Anita Brody concluded that he, along with a former law firm colleague, “have spearheaded a number of class action lawsuits and are leading members of the national ERISA plaintiffs’ bar.” Stagi v. Nat’l R.R. Passenger Corp., 880 F. Supp. 2d 564, 570 (E.D. Pa. 2012).
His numerous litigated cases include:
In Re Unisys Corp. Retiree Medical Benefits ERISA Litigation, 579 F.3d 220 (3d Cir. 2009), 242 F.3d 497 (3d Cir. 2001), and 57 F.3d 1255 (3d Cir. 1995), MDL No. 969 (E.D. Pa.) (fiduciary misrepresentation of promised retiree medical benefits);
In Re Campbell Soup Co. Retiree Medical Benefits ERISA Litigation, 954 F.Supp. 1000 (D. N.J. 1997), 898 F. Supp. 1118 (D.N.J. 1995) (cutback of promised retiree medical benefits);
Fulghum v. Embarq Corp., No. 2:07-cv-2602, 2016 WL 1060207 (D. Kan. March 15, 2016), and 785 F.3d 395 (10th Cir. 2015) (termination and misrepresentation of promised retiree medical and life insurance benefits);
Raetsch v. Lucent Technologies, Inc., No. 2:05-cv-5134, 2008 WL 2433529 (D. N.J. June 12, 2008), and 2006 WL 3068648 (D. N.J. Oct. 27, 2006) (failure to maintain retiree medical cost structure in violation of Internal Revenue Code provisions applicable to transfer of surplus pension plan funds);
Mehling v. New York Life Ins. Co., No. 99-CV-5417, 248 F.R.D. 455 (E.D. Pa. 2008) (fiduciary investment duties in connection with use of proprietary mutual funds for pension and savings plans);
Saxton v. Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Pension Fund, No. 02-986, 2003 WL 22952101 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (fiduciary breach in failing to adopt reasonable actuarial assumptions for pension plan);
Godshall v. The Franklin Mint Company, No. 01-CV-6539, 2004 WL 2745890 (E.D. Pa. 2004), and 285 F. Supp.2d 628 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (fiduciary breach in failing to identify and enroll workers mischaracterized as independent contractors);
McHenry v. Bell Atlantic Corporation, No. 97-6556, 1998 WL 512942 (E.D. Pa. August 19, 1998) (decision certifying class), 1999 WL 313771 (E.D. Pa. May 18, 1999) (denying motion for summary judgment and motion to decertify class), and 1999 WL 712578 (E.D. Pa. September 9, 1999) (denying second motion for summary judgment) (fiduciary breach in misrepresenting pension benefits for employees transferring to wireless subsidiary);
Bell v. Executive Committee of the United Food & Commercial Workers Int’l Union Pension Plan, No. 01-CV-236, 191 F.Supp.2d 10 (D.D.C. 2002) (imprudent investments in stock options by pension plan fiduciaries);
Fuller v. Fruehauf Trailer Corp., 168 F.R.D. 588 (E.D. Mich. 1996) (cutbacks in retiree medical benefits);
Church v. Consolidated Freightways, 137 F.R.D. 294 (N.D. Cal. 1991) (fiduciary breach in describing future employee benefits in connection with tender offer);
In re Masters, Mates & Pilots Pension Plan Litigation, 957 F.2d 1020 (2d Cir. 1992) (imprudent investments by pension and savings plans fiduciaries);
Rose v. Cooney (D. Conn.) (imprudent savings plan investments in Executive Life Insurance Co. contracts); and
Dodson v. Lone Star Steel Co. (N.D. Tex.) (imprudent purchase of pension plan terminal annuity from Executive Life Ins. Co.).
Alan Sandals is a member in good standing of the bars of Pennsylvania (admitted 1982) and Connecticut (admitted 2015). He is a former member of the District of Columbia Bar (admitted 1980).
In Re Campbell Soup Co. Retiree Medical Benefits ERISA Litigation, 954 F.Supp. 1000 (D. N.J. 1997), 898 F. Supp. 1118 (D.N.J. 1995) (cutback of promised retiree medical benefits);
Fulghum v. Embarq Corp., No. 2:07-cv-2602, 2016 WL 1060207 (D. Kan. March 15, 2016), and 785 F.3d 395 (10th Cir. 2015) (termination and misrepresentation of promised retiree medical and life insurance benefits);
Raetsch v. Lucent Technologies, Inc., No. 2:05-cv-5134, 2008 WL 2433529 (D. N.J. June 12, 2008), and 2006 WL 3068648 (D. N.J. Oct. 27, 2006) (failure to maintain retiree medical cost structure in violation of Internal Revenue Code provisions applicable to transfer of surplus pension plan funds);
Mehling v. New York Life Ins. Co., No. 99-CV-5417, 248 F.R.D. 455 (E.D. Pa. 2008) (fiduciary investment duties in connection with use of proprietary mutual funds for pension and savings plans);
Saxton v. Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Pension Fund, No. 02-986, 2003 WL 22952101 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (fiduciary breach in failing to adopt reasonable actuarial assumptions for pension plan);
Godshall v. The Franklin Mint Company, No. 01-CV-6539, 2004 WL 2745890 (E.D. Pa. 2004), and 285 F. Supp.2d 628 (E.D. Pa. 2003) (fiduciary breach in failing to identify and enroll workers mischaracterized as independent contractors);
McHenry v. Bell Atlantic Corporation, No. 97-6556, 1998 WL 512942 (E.D. Pa. August 19, 1998) (decision certifying class), 1999 WL 313771 (E.D. Pa. May 18, 1999) (denying motion for summary judgment and motion to decertify class), and 1999 WL 712578 (E.D. Pa. September 9, 1999) (denying second motion for summary judgment) (fiduciary breach in misrepresenting pension benefits for employees transferring to wireless subsidiary);
Bell v. Executive Committee of the United Food & Commercial Workers Int’l Union Pension Plan, No. 01-CV-236, 191 F.Supp.2d 10 (D.D.C. 2002) (imprudent investments in stock options by pension plan fiduciaries);
Fuller v. Fruehauf Trailer Corp., 168 F.R.D. 588 (E.D. Mich. 1996) (cutbacks in retiree medical benefits);
Church v. Consolidated Freightways, 137 F.R.D. 294 (N.D. Cal. 1991) (fiduciary breach in describing future employee benefits in connection with tender offer);
In re Masters, Mates & Pilots Pension Plan Litigation, 957 F.2d 1020 (2d Cir. 1992) (imprudent investments by pension and savings plans fiduciaries);
Rose v. Cooney (D. Conn.) (imprudent savings plan investments in Executive Life Insurance Co. contracts); and
Dodson v. Lone Star Steel Co. (N.D. Tex.) (imprudent purchase of pension plan terminal annuity from Executive Life Ins. Co.).
Alan Sandals is a member in good standing of the bars of Pennsylvania (admitted 1982) and Connecticut (admitted 2015). He is a former member of the District of Columbia Bar (admitted 1980).