Alexis M. Herman, Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor v. Arthur Goldstein and Medco Administrators, Ltd.

**What Happened:** The U.S. Department of Labor sued Medco Administrators, Ltd. and its owner Arthur Goldstein for illegally taking money from employee benefit plans. Medco was supposed to manage these plans, which included health insurance and retirement benefits for workers. Instead of properly handling the funds, Goldstein and his company kept millions of dollars that belonged to employee benefit plans, claiming they were entitled to these amounts as fees for their services. **What the Court Decided:** The court ruled against Medco and Goldstein, finding they violated federal law (ERISA) by unlawfully taking over $9.5 million from employee benefit funds. The appellate court upheld a lower court's decision, ordering the defendants to pay back the full amount plus interest. This was a complete victory for the Department of Labor. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This ruling protects workers' benefit plans from being raided by dishonest administrators. It shows that companies managing employee benefits cannot simply help themselves to workers' money by calling it "fees." When employers or benefit administrators steal from these funds, federal law provides strong protections, and workers can recover their money through government enforcement actions.