The largest class-action settlements in claims brought under the Employee Income Retirement Security Act topped $1.3 billion in 2014, almost 10 times the sum of the biggest settlements from the previous year. 

No other area of employment workplace law saw that kind of explosive growth last year. In fact, settlement numbers in other areas of workplace class-action claims were down, according to the 2015 Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, published by Seyfarth Shaw, a Chicago-based law firm. 

The settlement figures for the biggest ERISA cases were higher in 2014 than at any other time in recent history. In 2011, sponsors settled nearly $900 million in the largest cases, the only time since 2009 when the figures were remotely close to last year's record numbers.

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Nick Thornton

Nick Thornton is a financial writer covering retirement and health care issues for BenefitsPRO and ALM Media. He greatly enjoys learning from the vast minds in the legal, academic, advisory and money management communities when covering the retirement space. He's also written on international marketing trends, financial institution risk management, defense and energy issues, the restaurant industry in New York City, surfing, cigars, rum, travel, and fishing. When not writing, he's pushing into some land or water.