Ryan S. v. UnitedHealth Grp., No. 22-55761, __ F. 4th __, 2024 WL 1561668 (9th Cir. Apr. 11, 2024) (Before Circuit Judges Clifton and Sanchez and District Judge Edward R. Korman)
ERISA does not require employers to offer health insurance to their employees. If they do, however, they must comply with a host of…
We hope all of our readers had a chance to gaze up in wonder this week to witness the solar eclipse. Unfortunately, we did not spot a decision worthy of this awe-inspiring celestial event. But, as always, this week brings us decisions on many important ERISA issues, so keep reading for the ones that inspire…
Guenther v. BP Retirement Accumulation Plan, No. 4:16-CV-995, 2024 WL 1342746 (S.D. Tex. Mar. 28, 2024) (Judge George C. Hanks, Jr.)
As expected, we received a deluge of cases this week as the Civil Justice Reform Act reporting period drew to a close. With so many interesting decisions it was difficult to choose just…
Alford v. The NFL Player Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan, No. 1:23-cv-00358-JRR, 2024 WL 1214000 (D. Md. Mar. 20, 2024) (Judge Julie R. Rubin)
For faithful readers of Your ERISA Watch, the basic contours and scathing judicial critiques of the operation of the NFL Player Disability and Survivor Benefit Plan, previously known by the…
It’ s been another slow-ish week here in ERISA Watch territory, with no case of the week. But keep reading for contrasting approaches (and outcomes) in pension investment fee cases, the latest in the Cloud case challenging the NFL’s disability benefit plan, and a case involving the NBA’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.
Below is a summary…
Staffing Servs. Ass’n of Ill. v. Flanagan, No. 23 C 16208, 2024 WL 1050160 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 11, 2024) (Judge Thomas M. Durkin)
Temporary employees have it tough. They often do the same work as their colleagues, but because they are not official full-time employees at their workplace they are often not entitled to…
Another slow week in ERISA World, sadly. We do expect things to pick up, as the Civil Justice Reform Act reporting period expires at the end of the month. As always, however, even though the numbers are down, the cases are still interesting. Read on for no fewer than three separate cases discussing application of…
It has been a slow week here in ERISA World. Slow does not mean boring, however. Interestingly, in two of the cases we report on this week, courts refused to award attorneys’ fees to plaintiffs despite their partial or total success on the merits. In two other cases, courts rejected arguments that plaintiffs had failed…
Parmenter v. The Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., No. 22-1614, __ F. 4th __, 2024 WL 613959 (1st Cir. Feb. 14, 2024) (Before Circuit Judges Montecalvo and Thompson, and District Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll)
With a rapidly aging population in the United States, coupled with increasing numbers of people suffering from chronic and debilitating illness,…
Watson v. EMC Corp., No. 22-1356, __ F. App’x __, 2024 WL 501610 (10th Cir. Feb. 9, 2024) (Before Circuit Judges Matheson, Kelly, and Eid)
Individual benefit plan participants and beneficiaries seeking relief under ERISA typically look to two different provisions in deciding what claims to bring. One section, 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B), allows…
