We are pleased to announce the release of the inaugural edition of the quarterly Benefits Litigation Update (“Update”) – a joint project between Epstein Becker Green and The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a non-profit association committed to representing the advancement of the employee retirement, health, and compensation plans of America’s largest employers.
The Update is a quarterly publication which provides two primary components:
- a Featured Article addressing a trend or topic currently being discussed in the benefits community which (i) explains why the topic is important, (ii) explains the impact of the topic on the reader, and (iii) proposes some action that should be considered in response; and
- select Case Summaries involving noteworthy benefits litigation issues across the country.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Benefit Claim Denial Litigation
After Glenn and Conkright
By: Paul Friedman and John Houston Pope
No single issue accounts for more ERISA litigation than the denials of claims for benefits. ERISA Section 502(a)(1)(B) provides a vehicle for a dissatisfied participant to obtain judicial review of a denial of benefits. Although ERISA permits either a state court of competent jurisdiction or a federal court to hear a lawsuit seeking review of a claim denial, most suits end up in federal court, either by claimant’s choice or the exercise of a plan’s right to remove to a federal forum. . .