Cite as: 530 U. S. 238 (2000)
Opinion of the Court
sonally liable" (emphasis added)); § 502(l), 29 U. S. C. § 1132(l) (authorizing imposition of civil penalties only against a "fiduciary" who violates part 4 of Title I or "any other person" who knowingly participates in such a violation). And § 502(a) itself demonstrates Congress' care in delineating the universe of plaintiffs who may bring certain civil actions. See, e. g., § 502(a)(3), 29 U. S. C. § 1132(a)(3) ("A civil action may be brought . . . by a participant, beneficiary, or fiduciary . . ." (emphasis added)); § 502(a)(5), 29 U. S. C. § 1132(a)(5) ("A civil action may be brought . . . by the Secretary . . ." (emphasis added)).
In light of Congress' precision in these respects, we would ordinarily assume that Congress' failure to specify proper defendants in § 502(a)(3) was intentional. See Russello v. United States, 464 U. S. 16, 23 (1983). But ERISA's " 'comprehensive and reticulated' " scheme warrants a cautious approach to inferring remedies not expressly authorized by the text, Massachusetts Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Russell, 473 U. S. 134, 146 (1985) (quoting Nachman Corp. v. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 446 U. S. 359, 361 (1980)), especially given the alternative and intuitively appealing interpretation, urged by Salomon, that § 502(a)(3) authorizes suits only against defendants upon whom a duty is imposed by ERISA's substantive provisions. In this case, however, § 502(l) resolves the matter—it compels the conclusion that defendant status under § 502(a)(3) may arise from duties imposed by § 502(a)(3) itself, and hence does not turn on whether the defendant is expressly subject to a duty under one of ERISA's substantive provisions.
Section 502(l) provides in relevant part:
"(1) In the case of—
"(A) any breach of fiduciary responsibility under (or other violation of) part 4 of this subtitle by a fiduciary, or
"(B) any knowing participation in such a breach or violation by any other person,
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