PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - State lawyers are asking the Rhode Island Supreme Court to dismiss retired public employee’s efforts to reclaim pension benefits that were lost in a 2015 legal settlement.
The Providence Journal reports lawyers representing state General Treasurer Seth Magaziner and Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo filed the brief Monday.
The lawyers say that even if the retirees won, there is doubt that the state or local municipalities would be able to afford the cost of restoring benefits.
The settlement was part of a series of cutbacks to the pension system pushed by Raimondo in her former role as the state treasurer. It effectively raised the retirement age, suspended annual cost-of-living increases and put workers in a plan similar to a 401(k).
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
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