"A federal judge in California invoked a little-used procedural rule last month to force plaintiffs in an ERISA prohibited transaction lawsuit to spell out their factual case before discovery begins ... By requiring a so-called 'Rule 7' reply, [the judge] signaled that the plaintiffs may be required to do more than allege technical statutory violations before imposing on defendants the heavy burdens of discovery. The requirement could be used in other courts to counter the recent Supreme Court decision." [Dalton v. Freeman, No. 22-0847 (E.D. Calif. Dec. 30, 2025)]  MORE >>