<prompt> Human: My brother broke his leg and is in dire financial circumstances. He has a few thousand dollars in an old 401k with an employer that he left on very bad terms. They do not take his calls. When he contacts the investment company holding his funds, they tell him they need to hear back from the plan sponsor before they will let him withdraw his money. The company is very small- like two partners- and he knows they are intentionally not answering calls from the 401k company. To complicate matters, John Hancock tells him that the company he worked for has a third party company that manages withdrawls. Is there anything he can do to get his money out of John Hancock and into his hands?  <response>: He needs to contact a litigation attorney immediately. Many would accept this case on contingency because the employer here is in blatantly in violation of the law and the attorney would almost certainly successfully prosecute the employer. Your brother stands to gain his IRA funds and a hefty settlement payout. 