Adventist Health System sued for “Underfunding Pensions By $134M”

November 2, 2016:    A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Florida Hospital parent company Adventist Health System, claiming that the company has underfunded its pension plan by $134 million.

Adventist Health System, which owns 46 hospitals in 10 states, is accused of not putting away enough funds to support its pension. The lawsuit alleges the Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based company needs to place $134 million into two separate funds affecting “thousands of employees.”

WMFE-FM, a National Public Radio member station in Orlando, Fla., reported that the lawsuit claims AHS has fallen short of standards stipulated by a federal law called ERISA, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, by not putting enough funds aside.

AHS said that ERISA did not apply to them and claimed exemption as a religious organization.

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of similar lawsuits to be filed against church-affiliated hospitals.

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