William B. Wahlheim, Jr.

William serves on Maynard Nexsen's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

He brings over 25 years of experience to his clients; focusing his practice on managed healthcare, ERISA disputes and bad faith litigation. In his managed care practice, William represents payors in disputes brought by a wide spectrum of providers and participants. In his ERISA litigation practice, he represents insurers, sponsoring employers, plan administrators and third party administrators in federal and appellate courts across the country. He regularly defends benefit claims disputes brought by plan participants and beneficiaries involving life, health, disability, accidental death and dismemberment, property and casualty, ESOP, pension and retirement plans, fiduciary breach claims and COBRA continuation coverage disputes. William has handled matters in more than 20 states and litigation in the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal. In addition, William represents insurers in bad faith, fraud and class actions and employers in ERISA 401(k) stock drop, fiduciary class actions and "church plan" litigation.

His extensive experience in the area of ERISA Litigation has been widely recognized by his peers in the industry. William was listed Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation – ERISA for 2021 and 2015 in Birmingham. He frequently speaks on topics related to ERISA litigation at industry and client conferences. He has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Health Care Law, Insurance Law, Commercial Litigation, Class Actions and Litigation: ERISA. He is listed in the Mid-South Super Lawyers for Employee Benefit Litigation.

William was named in 2015 Who's Who Legal Directory in Pensions & Benefits. He is the only Alabama attorney included in the listing.

William received his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law and holds a B.S. from Davidson College.

Community & Professional

• American Bar Association, Litigation and Torts and Insurance Law Sections
• Alabama State Bar Association, Mentor Program
• 2007 Alabama Bar Leadership Forum Class, Finance Committee
• Birmingham Bar Association, Executive Committee, Young Lawyers’ Section, Past President (2002)
• Birmingham Bar Association, Volunteer Lawyer’s Project
• Birmingham Bar Foundation, Past-President (2006), Inaugural Fellow Class
• United Way Lawyer’s Committee
• Crippled Children's Foundation, Monday Morning Quarterback Club
• Board Member, Alabama Symphony

• Fenwick v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 2021 WL 100549 (6th Cir. Jan. 12, 2021)
• Gloria Ferguson v. BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., Compass Bankshares, Inc., and BBVA USA Bankshares, Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-00220 (N.D. Ala) (representing Retirement Committee for financial institution’s 401(k) Plan in connection with claims that Committee breached duties of loyalty and prudence in connection with certain plan investments)
• Threadford, et. al. v Horizon Trust and Investment Management, NA, Case No. 2:20-750 (N.D. Ala) (representing corporation as Trustee in connection with class claims for retirement benefits from ESOP)
• Davis v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 980 F.3d 541 (6th Cir. 2020)
• Crump v. Aetna, No. 1:19-CV-109-SA-DAS, 2020 WL 6265072 (N.D. Miss. Oct. 23, 2020)
• Smith v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., No. CV 5:19-061-DCR, 2020 WL 4355068 (E.D. Ky. July 29, 2020)
• Tucker v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., No. 5:18-CV-194-TBR-LLK, 2020 WL 3453751 (W.D. Ky. June 24, 2020)
• Crites v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., No. 4:19-CV-00098-KGB, 2020 WL 2616578 (E.D. Ark. May 21, 2020)
• Cofield v. Hartford, No. 4:18-CV-00607-SGC, 2020 WL 2218935 (N.D. Ala. May 7, 2020)
• Young v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., No. CV 6:19-61-KKC, 2020 WL 996448 (E.D. Ky. Mar. 2, 2020)
• Long v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 404 F. Supp. 3d 1012, 1021 (N.D. Tex. 2019)
• Bruce v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 2019 WL 6211364 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 21, 2019)
• Courtless Rampey and Bridget Cunningham, et al. v. West Corp. and Retirement Comm. of West Corp. 401(k) Retirement Plan, Case No. 1:19-CV-00220 (S.D. Ala.)(representing corporation in connection with claims of excessive fees and unsuitable investments in 401K) litigation)
• Griffin v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 898 F.3d 371 (4th Cir. 2018)
• Howe v. Barr Eng'g Co., No. 17-CV-3019 (JNE/LIB), 2017 WL 7202130, at *9 (D. Minn. Dec. 6, 2017), report and recommendation adopted, No. 17-CV-3019 (JNE/LIB), 2018 WL 647928 (D. Minn. Jan. 31, 2018)
• Bales v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11180 (S.D. Miss. Jan. 24, 2018)
• ​Quarles v. Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10506 (W.D. Ky. Jan. 23, 2018)
• Griffin v. Hartford Life and Accident Ins. Co., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10295 (W.D. Va. Jan. 25, 2017)
• Potts v. Hartford Life and Accident Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104432 (W.D. Pa. Aug. 9, 2016)
• Quarles v. Hartford Life and Accident Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65188 (W.D. Ky. May 18, 2016)
• Melech v. Life Insurance Company of North America, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104898 (S.D. Ala. Aug. 10, 2015)
• Pugh v. El Paso Corp. Pension Plan, 617 Fed. Appx. 964 (11th Cir. 2015)
• Davis v. U.S. Bank, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 749 (E.D. Tenn. Jan. 6, 2014)
• Caudle v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87647 (N.D. Ala. June 27, 2014)
• Boyd v. Baptist Health Sys., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4519 (N.D. Ala. Jan. 11, 2013)
• Tabb-Pope v. San, Inc., et al., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150587 (N.D. Ala. Oct. 21, 2013)
• Spivey v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 173864 (M.D. Ala. Dec. 12, 2013)
• Rogers v. Hartford Life and Acc. Ins. Co., et al., 2012 WL 1288349 (M.D. Ala. Apr. 16, 2012)
• Carter v. Bert Bell/ Pete Rozelle NFL Ret. Plan, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 170858 (N.D. Ala. Dec. 3, 2012)
• Kelly v. Hartford, 2011 WL 7578126 (E.D. Tenn. Nov. 8, 2011)
• Crawford v. Hartford Life and Acc. Ins. Co., 2011 WL 5237826 (S.D. Miss. Nov. 1, 2011)
• In re Regions Morgan Keegan ERISA Litigation, 741 F. Supp. 2d 844 (W.D. Tenn. June 30, 2010)
• Hartwell v. U.S. Foodservice, Inc., 2010 WL 3713496 (S.D. Miss. Sept. 13, 2010)
• Walker v. Rock-Tenn Converting Co., Inc., 2010 WL 551215 (S.D. Ala. Feb. 11, 2010)
• Ruple v. Hartford Life and Acc. Ins. Co., 340 Fed. Appx. 604 (11th Cir. Aug. 11, 2009)
• In re Region Morgan Keegan ERISA Litigation, Case No. 2:08-CV-2192 (W.D. Tenn.) (represented financial institution in three separate class actions and two derivative matters alleging securities and “stock drop” claims)
• Young v. Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Co., 2007 WL 2902985 (M.D. Ala. Oct. 4, 2007)
• Vulcan Materials Co. v. Alabama Insurance Guaranty Association, et al., 2007 Ala. LEXIS 155 (Ala. Aug. 3, 2007)
• House v. Life Insurance Company of North America, 399 F.Supp.2d 1254 (N.D. Ala. Apr. 21, 2005)
• Brown v. Cemex, Inc., 2005 U.S. Lexis 31689 (S.D. Ala. November 22, 2005)
• Dent v. American Intern. Life Assur. Co. of New York, 390 F. Supp. 2d 1341 (M.D. Ga. May 16, 2005)
• Spain v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 872 So.2d 101, (Ala. 2003)

Recognition

• The Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation, Health Care Law, Insurance Law, Litigation – ERISA, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions: Defendants (2009-present)
• Best Lawyers® 2021, 2024 "Lawyer of the Year" Litigation - ERISA; Litigation: ERISA in Birmingham (2015)
• Mid-South Super Lawyers for Employee Benefits (2016 - present)
• Alabama Super Lawyers, Employee Benefits/ERISA (2011-2015)
• International Who's Who Legal - Labor, Employment & Benefits, 2017
• Who's Who Legal Directory, Pensions & Benefits, 2015
• Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Rating
• Recognized as a "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation