Five years ago, Chief Justice Roberts observed: “People make mistakes. Even administrators of ERISA plans.” Conkright v. Frommert, 559 U.S. 506, 509 (2010). Four years ago, searching for a mechanism to provide monetary relief for such mistakes under ERISA, the Supreme Court reached into the desiccated maw of early 19th century trust law and pulled out the make-whole remedy of surcharge. CIGNA Corp. v. Amara, 131 S. Ct. 1866 (2011). While the contours of the surcharge remedy are still being worked out in the lower courts, it currently appears to have only two elements – (1) a breach of fiduciary duty (2) that results in actual harm.
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