Opinion ID: 475510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues

Text: 11 The employees make the following arguments with respect to their state law claims on appeal: (1) that Amoco breached life-time employment contracts with its employees when it sold its Alabama LPG operations to Norgas; (2) that their claim that Amoco fraudulently assured them of life-time employment with Amoco even while negotiating the sale of the business is not barred by an Alabama statute of limitations; (3) that their claim that Amoco and Norgas fraudulently concealed the effect of the sale on credit for years of service toward retirement benefits is not preempted by ERISA. The employees also argue that Amoco and Norgas bargained away credit for years of service with Amoco when they negotiated the sales contract, thereby violating the following provisions of ERISA: (1) the provision that years of service with predecessor employer be credited by successor employer (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1060(b)(2)); (2) the provision setting forth a fiduciary duty to act solely for the benefit of plan beneficiaries (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1104); (3) the anti-discrimination provision (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1140); (4) the prohibited transactions provision (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1106); (5) the provision governing early retirement benefits (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1056); (6) the criminal fraud provision (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1141); and (7) the disclosure provisions (29 U.S.C. Secs. 1022, 1024). Finally, the employees argue that Judge Lynne abused his discretion in failing to vacate summary judgment in favor of Norgas and to recuse himself in light of the relationship between his law clerk and Norgas' attorneys.