Karen Wahle
Of Counsel
Karen Wahle is Of Counsel in O'Melveny's Washington, DC office and a member of the Class Actions, Mass Torts, and Aggregated Litigation Practice. She focuses on litigation involving Title I of ERISA, including class actions, and is a member of the firm's Employee Benefits Practice. Karen has a broad range of experience in all aspects of ERISA litigation, including defending clients against claims of breach of fiduciary duty, reporting and disclosure violations, vesting and funding violations, as well as against claims for benefits under employee welfare and pension plans. She also counsels clients on compliance issues involving Title I and Title IV of ERISA.
Karen has worked with a variety of clients including: Eastman Kodak Company; Fannie Mae; Oxford Health Plans; CIGNA Corp.; Verizon Communications Inc.; Hughes Aircraft Corp.; Humana Inc.; Lucent Technologies Inc.; Marriott International, Inc.; US Airways, Inc.; and Curtiss-Wright Corp.
Karen has been recognized as a leading practitioner in the employee benefits field in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, and as one of the Washington, DC's Super Lawyers.
Illustrative Professional Experience
- Defending plan sponsors, including Eastman Kodak Company, Verizon Communications Inc., and Hilton Hotels Corp. in federal litigation brought by employees and former employees seeking benefits under ERISA-covered employee benefit plans. Illustrative recent cases include Todisco v. Verizon Communications Inc., 2007 WL 2231733 (1st Cir. 2007); Saunders v. Verizon Communications Inc., 2007 WL 983840 (N.D. W.Va. Mar. 28, 2007); Ranke v. Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc., 436 F.3d 197 (3d Cir. 2006); Moeller v. Qualex Inc., 458 F. Supp. 2d 1069 (C.D. Cal. 2006); Stephens v. Retirement Income Plan for Pilots of U.S. Air, Inc., 464 F.3d 606 (6th Cir. 2006); Bird v. Eastman Kodak Company, 390 F. Supp. 2d 1117 (M.D. Fla. 2005); Wimbush-Bowles v. GTE Service Corp., 2004 WL 392918 (11th Cir. 2004); and Nichols v. Verizon Communications Inc., 78 Fed. Appx. 209 (3d Cir. 2003)
- Defending plan sponsors, including Fannie Mae, Solutia Inc., and Prudential Financial, and their employees, officers and directors in federal litigation challenging fiduciary conduct arising out of plan management. Illustrative cases include Dupree v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 2007 WL 2263892 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 10, 2007); Stewart v. National Education Assoc., 471 F.3d 169 (D.C. Cir. 2006); Dickerson v. Feldman, 426 F. Supp. 2d 130 (S.D.N.Y. 2006); Tittle v. Enron Corp., 463 F. 3d 410 (5th Cir. 2006); In re ULLICO Inc. Litig., 237 F.R.D. 314 (D.D.C. 2006)
- Representing plan sponsors in disputes over respective allocation of benefit responsibilities following corporate spin-offs. Illustrative cases include Eastman Kodak Co. v. STWB, 452 F.3d 215 (2d Cir. 2006)
- Defending managed care entities, including CIGNA HealthCare, Humana Inc., and Oxford Health Plans against claims of breach of fiduciary duty in connection with managed care practices. Illustrative cases include Nechis v. Oxford Health Plans, Inc., 421 F.3d 96 (2d Cir. 2005)
Professional Activities
Admitted to Practice, U.S.
Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, and District of Columbia Circuits; U.S. District Courts, District of Columbia, District of Maryland, Eastern District of Virginia, and Western District of Virginia
Co-Chair, Civil Procedure Subcommittee (Management Chair), Labor Section, American Bar Association
Contributing Author, Employee Benefits Law, Second Edition (BNA 2000);
ERISA Fiduciary Law, Second Edition (BNA 2006)
Speaker, ERISA-related seminars and conferences, including those sponsored by ALI-ABA; Thompson/West; ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits; National Employment Law Institute; NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law; American Conference Institute; Minnesota Institute of Legal Education; Law Education Institute; Midwest Benefits Conference; and D.C. Bar Continuing Education