⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit hears Williams v. Bally's Management Group. Tracy Williams participated in a Bally's employee health plan and paid a tobacco surcharge totaling about $780 a year. The plan covered a smoking-cessation program, and completing it stopped future surcharges. Williams sued under ERISA, the federal law governing employee benefit plans. She says participants who complete the cessation program or another qualifying alternative must receive the reward's full plan-year value, and that Bally's materials did not adequately explain those alternatives. The district court rejected both arguments, holding that federal law did not require repayment of earlier surcharges and that the notices were sufficient. On appeal, Williams says "full reward" covers the whole plan year; Bally's says the phrase is satisfied when the surcharge ends from completion forward.

Williams v. Bally's Management Group, LLC (No. 25-2159) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued September 16, 2026.