ERISA & Employee Benefits

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Scanlon v. Life Insurance Company of North America, has ruled that a court must fully consider the nature and the duties of a claimant’s job in...

In Higgins vs. Lincoln Electric Company, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit placed a high burden on a plan participant who claimed that his employer was “estopped” (i.e.,...

In Witt v. Intel Corp. Long-Term Disability Plan, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon refused to dismiss a long term disability (”LTD”) benefits lawsuit when the plan...

In Weyer v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has determined that the “but-for” causation standard is appropriate for determining whether...

In Harmon v Unum Life, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that an insurer may rely on its own medical advisors in denying long term disability (“LTD”) benefits, as long as the...

In Aisenberg v. Reliance Standard Life Ins. Co., the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled that a long term disability (“LTD”) plan must take into account...

In Steigleman v. Symetra Life, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona has ruled that a small business owner could not sue an insurance company under state law for long term disability...

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has ruled, in Delucca v. The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, that a long term disability (“LTD”) plan was not bound by prior...

In Laake v. Benefits Committee, Western & Southern Financial Group Co., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit determined that the de novo standard of review applies where an employer’s...

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, in Steigleman vs. Symetra Life, that neither an employer nor its trade association created an ERISA-covered plan merely because the employer paid for long...