AUGSBURG FORTRESS PUBLISHERS

Thorkelson v. Publishing House of the ELCA, d/b/a Augsburg Fortress Publishers, is currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The ERISA class action complaint was filed on behalf of a class of all persons who were participants in or beneficiaries of the Retirement Plan for Employees of Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Publishing House of the ELCA (“Plan”), from January 1, 2000 to the present (“Class Period”).

Publishing House of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which does business as Augsburg Fortress Publisher, recently announced that it was terminating the Plan and that the Plan had been underfunded for nine years. Plaintiffs allege that the Plan is not a “church plan” exempted from ERISA and therefore the participants in the Plan should have the same protections ERISA extends to plan participants generally.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Defendants breached their duties under ERISA, or alternatively under state law, by among other things:

  • failing to adequately fund the plan;
  • failing to prudently and loyally manage the Plan’s assets;
  • failing to disclose necessary information to co-fiduciaries and participants; and
  • breaching their contractual and trust-law duties to the participants.

If you are a participant in or a beneficiary of the Retirement Plan for Employees of Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Publishing House of the ELCA, and you would like information regarding this matter, you may contact Keller Rohrback attorneys Ron Kilgard or Lynn Sarko toll free at (800) 776-6044.

Keller Rohrback is one of America’s leading law firms handling ERISA retirement plan litigation. We are committed to helping employees and retirees protect their retirement savings. Keller Rohrback serves or has served as lead and co-lead counsel in numerous ERISA class action cases, including cases against Enron, WorldCom, and HealthSouth. Keller Rohrback has successfully provided class action representation for over a decade. Its trial lawyers have obtained judgments and settlements on behalf of clients in excess of seven billion dollars.

Case Documents