A federal judge granted final approval of the $850,000 Dartmouth-Hitchcock retirement plan ERISA settlement on August 24, 2026. Participants from 2016 to 2026 are paid automatically, with no claim form to file.
Current Status
There is no claim form; payments are automatic. Judge Landya B. McCafferty held the fairness hearing on August 13, 2026 and granted final approval of the settlement on August 24, 2026 (Doc. 78), noting that no objections were received. The same order granted in part and denied in part Class Counsel's fee motion, awarding 25% of the fund instead of the 33% requested. No payment date had been announced as of November 7, 2026.What Changed Recently?
The court's August 24, 2026 order found the $850,000 settlement fair, reasonable and adequate. It reduced the attorneys' fee award to $212,500 (25% of the fund) from the $283,333.33 (33%) Class Counsel had requested, reasoning in part that the average payout per class member is modest. The order reimbursed $85,840.36 in litigation expenses and approved $10,000 case contribution awards for each of the three class representatives, all paid from the settlement fund. The fee amount not awarded stays in the fund for distribution to class members.What Is This Settlement About?
Current and former participants in Dartmouth-Hitchcock's retirement plans are receiving automatic payments from an $850,000 settlement, with no claim form to file.Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic agreed to pay $850,000 to resolve a proposed class action accusing it of breaching its fiduciary duties under ERISA, the federal law that governs employer retirement plans. The complaint alleged that the people responsible for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Retirement Plan and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Employee Investment Plan — two large defined contribution plans that together held roughly $1.9 billion in retirement savings — allowed the plans to pay excessive recordkeeping and administrative fees, and failed to adequately monitor the committee charged with overseeing those costs. The plaintiffs argued that prudent fiduciaries would have used the plans' size to negotiate lower fees, and that the excess costs reduced participants' retirement savings over time.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock denies all of the allegations and maintains that it managed the plans properly and in participants' best interests. The court has not decided who is right. The parties agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of continued litigation. This is the same kind of retirement-plan fee case behind other recent agreements, including the NextEra Energy 401(k) ERISA settlement and the Capital One 401(k) ERISA settlement.
Who Qualifies?
You are a class member if you participated in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Retirement Plan and/or the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Employee Investment Plan at any time between March 18, 2016 and March 25, 2026. The class includes current employees with an active Plan account, former employees who had a Plan account during that period (even if the account is now closed), beneficiaries of deceased participants, and alternate payees under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO).Free settlement alerts
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Do I Need to File a Claim?
No. This is one of the settlements where you do not need to do anything to get paid. Your share is calculated automatically from the Plans' own records, so there is no claim form and no documentation to submit.If you still have an active account in one of the Plans, your share of the settlement will be deposited directly into your Plan account. If you are a former participant, the settlement administrator will mail a check to the same address where your settlement notice was sent. If you have moved since leaving Dartmouth-Hitchcock, make sure your current mailing address is up to date so your check reaches you — you can reach the settlement administrator through the official settlement website.
How Much Can You Get?
Your payment depends on how much and how long you participated in the Plans during the class period. The settlement administrator divides the net fund proportionally among class members based on Plan records, so participants with larger balances over more of the class period generally receive larger shares.The total settlement fund is $850,000. Before money is distributed, deductions come out for attorneys' fees, litigation expenses, the cost of the independent fiduciary who reviews the deal on the Plans' behalf, settlement-administration costs, any taxes, and case contribution awards. The court approved $212,500 in attorneys' fees (25% of the fund, less than the one-third Class Counsel requested), $85,840.36 in expenses, and $10,000 case contribution awards for each of the three class representatives. The remaining "net settlement amount" is divided on a pro rata basis among class members according to the Plan of Allocation posted on the settlement website.
One minimum-payment rule applies: a former participant whose calculated share would be $5 or less will not receive a distribution. Current participants are not subject to that floor. Because the fund is split across a large group of participants, individual amounts will vary widely, and exact per-person figures will not be known until the administrator runs the Plan of Allocation.
Can I Opt Out?
No. The court certified this as a mandatory class under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(b)(1) for settlement purposes, so class members cannot exclude themselves or "opt out" to pursue their own claims. With final approval granted, every class member is bound by the settlement and its release of claims.Class members could instead object to the settlement, the attorneys' fee request, or the case contribution awards by filing a written objection with the Clerk of the Court on or before July 14, 2026. That deadline has passed, and the court's final approval order states that no objections were received. Mandatory 23(b)(1) certification is standard in retirement plan cases, because the claims belong to the plan rather than to participants individually — the Ricoh USA Retirement Savings Plan settlement is built the same way, with automatic payments and no exclusion available.
What Are the Important Dates?
Class Period: March 18, 2016 – March 25, 2026
Objection Deadline: July 14, 2026 — passed (no opt-out — mandatory class)
Final Approval Hearing: held August 13, 2026 (U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire)
Final Approval Order: signed August 24, 2026 (Doc. 78)
Claim Form: Not required — payments are automatic
What Happens If I Do Nothing?
If you are a class member and do nothing, you still participate in the settlement automatically. Class members with an active Plan account will have their share deposited into the Plan; former participants with a valid address on file will receive a check. The court granted final approval on August 24, 2026, and payments follow once the judgment becomes final and any appeals are resolved. No payment date had been announced as of November 7, 2026.Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to file a claim for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock ERISA settlement?
No. Payments are automatic. If you still have an active account in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Retirement Plan or Employee Investment Plan, your share is deposited into your Plan account. If you are a former participant, the settlement administrator mails you a check. There is no claim form to file.
How much will I get from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock retirement plan settlement?
Your share is a pro rata portion of the net settlement fund based on your account balance in the Plans during the class period (March 18, 2016 through March 25, 2026). The $850,000 fund is divided proportionally among class members after the court approves attorneys' fees, litigation costs, and administration expenses. On August 24, 2026, the court cut Class Counsel's fee to 25% ($212,500) from the 33% requested, and approved $85,840.36 in expenses and $10,000 case contribution awards for each of the three class representatives. Exact per-person amounts are calculated under the court-approved Plan of Allocation.
Who qualifies for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock ERISA settlement?
Current and former participants and beneficiaries in the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Retirement Plan and/or the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Employee Investment Plan at any time between March 18, 2016 and March 25, 2026, including beneficiaries of deceased participants and alternate payees under a QDRO.
What was the Dartmouth-Hitchcock ERISA lawsuit about?
The lawsuit alleged Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic breached its ERISA fiduciary duties by letting its two retirement plans pay excessive recordkeeping and administrative fees and by failing to adequately monitor the committee responsible for the plans. Dartmouth-Hitchcock denies any wrongdoing; the court has not ruled on the merits.
Has the Dartmouth-Hitchcock settlement received final approval?
The final approval (fairness) hearing was held August 13, 2026 before Judge Landya B. McCafferty of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire. On August 24, 2026, the judge granted final approval of the settlement (Doc. 78), noting that no objections were received. Payments are issued after the judgment becomes final and any appeals are resolved; no payment date had been announced as of November 7, 2026.
Official Settlement Notice
Sources
• Official Settlement Site — DartmouthHitchcockERISASettlement.com• Adams v. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, No. 1:22-cv-00099-LM (D.N.H.) — court-authorized settlement notice and settlement agreement
• Order granting final approval and granting in part and denying in part the motion for attorney fees, costs and awards (Doc. 78, Aug. 24, 2026), on the official settlement site's Important Case Documents page
• Union Leader — Federal judge gives preliminary approval to $850,000 Dartmouth Health settlement
