# Opinion Summary: M & K v. IAM Pension Trustees  | Pension Plan Predicament Put to Rest

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-high-court-report-7304353/opinion-summary-m-k-v-iam-pension-trustees-pension-plan-predicament-put-to-rest
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-high-court-report-7304353/opinion-summary-m-k-v-iam-pension-trustees-pension-plan-predicament-put-to-rest.md
Podcast: [The High Court Report](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-high-court-report-7304353)
Published: 2026-05-25T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thehighcourtreport.com//opinion-summary-m-k-v-iam-pension-trustees-pension-plan-predicament-put-to-rest
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/6ed71e64-fc56-429f-a088-2ea724d6ed84.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3525

## Resource

I'll create show notes and five alternative episode title options for this opinion episode.Now I'll create the show notes and title options for the M & K Employee Solutions opinion episode. PART 1: SHOW NOTES M & K Employee Solutions, LLC v. Trustees of IAM National Pension Fund | Case No. 23-1209 | Decided May 21, 2026 | Docket Link: https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-1209.html Overview: ERISA withdrawal liability dispute resolves when pension plan actuaries must select calculation assumptions, affecting billions in retirement obligations across multiemployer pension plans serving unionized workers nationwide. Question Presented: Whether ERISA requires actuarial assumptions underlying withdrawal liability calculations get selected on or before the statutory measurement date. Posture: D.C. Circuit affirmed district courts allowing post-measurement-date assumption selection, conflicting with Second Circuit precedent. Main Arguments: Employers (Petitioners): (1) Statute's "as of" language freezes all calculation inputs including assumptions on measurement date; (2) Actuarial assumptions constitute factual inputs requiring temporal fixation; (3) Broad anti-retroactivity principle prevents post-measurement assumption adoption. Pension Fund (Respondent): (1) "As of" language sets reference point for hard data only while tools get selected later; (2) Actuarial assumptions constitute analytical methods not observable facts; (3) "Best estimate" requirement supports using most current available data when selecting assumptions. Holding: The ERISA provisions governing the calculation of withdrawal liability from an underfunded Multiemployer Pension Plan do not require that actuarial assumptions underlying the calculation be selected on or befor…

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