Congress established the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) to provide minimum standards for private employer employee benefit plans to ensure retirement security for employees and their dependents. ERISA has a “government exemption” in which plans established by the US government or any state government for its employees is exempt from ERISA.

The Complaint alleges that while WMATA operates its buses and metro system in multiple states, it is not governed by any one state, is not the government of any one state, and is not an agency of the United States or one of its states. The Complaint challenges WMATA claim that its retirement plans, the WMATA Retirement Plan and the Transit Employees’ Retirement Plan, are government plans exempt from ERISA. The Complaint also alleges that these WMATA plans do not comply with ERISA.

This lawsuit is brought on behalf of the following Class:

All participants or beneficiaries of the WMATA Retirement Plan or the Transit Employees’ Retirement Plan.

Excluded from the Class are high-level executives at WMATA or any employees who have responsibility or involvement in the administration of the Retirement Plan or the Transit Plan.

Plaintiff filed Class Action Complaint on July 7, 2026. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss arguing among other things, that its plans are exempt from ERISA.

Class Action Complaint – July 7, 2026