Doug Needham Email & Phone Number

Hartford, Connecticut, United States

I represent plaintiffs in class actions about their employee benefits. My cases involve the actuarial assumptions used to calculate pensions, 401(k) plan investments, ERISA's vesting rules and how corporate mergers/spin-offs affect benefits. I work with actuaries and economists to apply ERISA's rules to different types of benefits, financial products and compensation structures. Several of my current cases are about whether companies are providing actuarially equivalent pension benefits. One was Cruz v. Raytheon, which settled in 2021 by increasing class members' pension benefits by $59 million. In Berry v. Wells Fargo, I litigated whether a plan was “top hat” plan under ERISA, with the case settling for $79 million in what the court described as the result of “extraordinary skill and determination.”

Hartford, Connecticut Area

I represent clients in Connecticut and New York litigation matters. My cases involve business, commercial, banking, insurance and personal injury disputes. I have significant experience prosecuting and defending business tort claims including those involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation, contractual interference and the theft of trade secrets

Syracuse, New York Area

Commercial and business tort litigation. Represented clients in commercial, environmental and real estate disputes.

Commercial and personal injury litigation.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Law

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Industrial And Labor Relations