PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A group of retirees is asking the Rhode Island Supreme Court to allow them to reclaim their pension benefits that were eliminated in a 2011 pension overhaul.
Cost-of-living adjustments were frozen and a hybrid retirement system was implemented in the 2011 law that affected more than 60,000 peoples. Several unions and groups filed lawsuits, and most of the litigation was resolved in a 2015 class-action settlement.
The Providence Journal reports that two lawyers for 140 retired public employees appeared before the high court Thursday. They argued the judge who presided over the settlement did not properly review its impact on their clients.
State attorney John Tarantino said the judge didn’t overlook anything.
Justices are expected to decide in six to eight weeks.
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