From the Courthouse News Service:

The 9th Circuit on Monday dismissed a class action that accused the National Education Association of tricking teachers into buying expensive retirement annuities in exchange for millions of dollars in annual royalties.

The federal appeals panel in Seattle ruled that the lead plaintiffs – two public school teachers in California and Washington – had failed to state a claim under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) because the annuities at issue do not qualify as employee pension benefit plans.

The ruling was in keeping with a previous decision in a case involving the New York State United Teachers last year, although it’s clear that the firm of Keller Rohrback is seeking other avenues to advance its suits.