Groom principal and co-chair of the firm's Litigation group, Lars Golumbic, appeared before the U.S. House Committee for Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions at the hearing, "Restoring Trust: Enhancing Transparency and Oversight at EBSA." His testimony was centered upon the Department of Labor's ("DOL") use of common interest agreements ("CIAs") with private plaintiffs' firms in ERISA litigation. Golumbic was joined by three other leaders in the employee benefits field at the July 21, 2025, hearing.
In its reporting on the hearing, the Plan Sponsor Council of America ("PSCA") highlighted Golumbic's assertion that Groom uncovered definitive evidence of undisclosed partnerships, where the DOL shared confidential investigative materials — including documents protected under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") — with plaintiffs' attorneys pursuing class action lawsuits. According to the platform, Golumbic said that "he learned of the information sharing 'under the guise of so-called common interest agreements.'"
PSCA further reported that Golumbic stated that "it has become more common for defense attorneys to seek out any information sharing agreement during discovery, and the existence of CIAs has created a 'chilling effect' on cooperation with EBSA. Without any assurance that information turned over to EBSA won't be sent to a plaintiff attorney, there is a 'natural reluctance to produce information.'"
To read the PSCA article, click here.
To read Golumbic's testimony, click here.
To watch the hearing, click here.