Employee Suit Against Edison Utility in California to Be Heard by Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to weigh whether to revive certain claims made in a class action lawsuit filed by employees against utility Edison International over its pension plan management.

The nine justices will consider a lawsuit filed by Glenn Tibble and other employees against Edison subsidiary Southern California Edison Co. The plaintiffs say the company breached its fiduciary duty by, among other things, offering higher-cost mutual funds to those participating in the plan despite the fact that identical lower-cost mutual funds were available.

At issue is whether some of the claims in the lawsuit were barred by a six-year statute of limitations that is part of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. In July 2010, a federal judge in California said they were barred. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in an August 2013 decision.

Both courts said claims made within the six-year period could move forward.

A ruling is due by the end of June.

The case is Tibble v. Edison International, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 13-550.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)