If you or someone in your family is or may have been a participant in or a beneficiary of the Columbus Regional Healthcare System Retirement Savings Plan (the “Plan”) at some time between February 2, 2015 and May 31, 2019 you may be a Class Member in this Settlement. As a result, you may be entitled to a payment pursuant to a proposed class action settlement in Goodman, et al., v. Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Inc., Case No. 4:21-cv-00015-CDL (M.D. Ga.) (the “Action”).
The complaint in the Action alleges Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Inc. (“Columbus Regional”) was a fiduciary to the Plan, and allegedly violated fiduciary duties under ERISA that it owed to the Plan’s participants and beneficiaries. In the complaint, the Plaintiffs have asserted causes of action for losses they believe were suffered by the Plan and participants as the result of the alleged breaches of fiduciary duty by Columbus Regional. Columbus Regional denies any wrongdoing and has asserted many defenses. Plaintiffs and Columbus Regional have reached an agreement to settle the claims against Columbus Regional, and the proposed settlement is under review by the Court. As part of the proposed settlement, payments funded by Columbus Regional will be made to all class members who are allocated a settlement share under the proposed Plan of Allocation. You do not need to do anything to receive a payment under the settlement if you are entitled to one, but your rights will be affected. The settlement includes a release of claims related to the administration and management of the Plan.
The Court will hold a hearing on June 12, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. to consider whether to approve the settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, class counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees and certain other matters. You cannot exclude yourself from the settlement. You can, however, file written comments or objections with the Court and appear and speak at the hearing at your own expense. To do so, you must submit your comments no later than May 22, 2024. Detailed instructions can be found in the Notice of Class Action Settlement, Settlement Fairness Hearing, and Motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Reimbursement of Attorney Expenses.
| YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT | |
| You can do nothing. (No action is necessary to receive an allocated payment.) |
If the Settlement is approved by the Court and you are a Member of the Settlement Class entitled to a payment under the Plan of Allocation, you do not need to do anything to receive a payment. |
| You can submit an objection. (It must be mailed and postmarked by May 22, 2024.) |
If you wish to object to any part of the Settlement, you may write to the Court and the Parties’ counsel and explain why, as described in the Notice. |
| You can appear and speak at the Fairness Hearing on June 12, 2024. | If you submit a written objection to the Settlement before the Court-approved deadline and a notice of intent to appear (as described in the Notice), you may (but do not have to) speak in Court about the fairness of the Settlement. |
Your options are explained in the Notice. This is only a summary of the proposed settlement. For the precise terms and conditions of the settlement, please see the Joint Statement of Proposed Settlement. Alternatively, you can contact the Settlement Administrator or Class Counsel.
Do not contact the Court directly about this Settlement or this Notice.