Roberts Disability Law

Roberts Disability Law is a Bay Area law firm that represents California employees and insureds in disputes under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The firm is particularly focused on claims for disability and life insurance benefits. Roberts Disability Law represents its clients in all stages of an insurance claim, including assistance with filing a claim, submitting a pre-litigation appeal, filing a lawsuit in federal district court, and filing an appeal in the Courts of Appeals. Roberts Disability Law is proud to be a woman- and minority-owned law firm.

Website: https://robertsdisability.com/
Follow:

Roberts Disability Law Blogs

Roberts Disability Law Blog

Blog Authors

Michelle Roberts

Latest from Roberts Disability Law

In Warmenhoven v. NetApp, Inc., No. 19-16960, __F.4th__, 2021 WL 4143107 (9th Cir. Sept. 13, 2021), Defendant-Appellee NetApp promised Plaintiff-Appellant Daniel Warmenhoven and other executives lifetime medical benefits under the NetApp Executive Medical Retirement Plan (“the Plan”). After Warmenhoven retired, NetApp instituted a phased termination of the Plan. Warmenhoven and six other retired executives (who have since settled their dispute with NetApp), filed suit under ERISA § 502(a)(1)(B) seeking benefits under the Plan and…
In Smith v. Bd. of Directors of Triad Mfg., Inc., No. 20-2708, __F.4th__, 2021 WL 4129456 (7th Cir. Sept. 10, 2021), Plaintiff-Appellee James Smith sued the fiduciaries of the Triad’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the “ESOP” or “Plan”), a defined contribution employee retirement plan, for breaches of fiduciary duty under 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(2) and (a)(3), for failing to monitor a co-fiduciary in violation of 29 U.S.C. § 1104(a)(1)(A) and (B), for engaging in…
In Anthony v. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 1, et al., No. 20-7036, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 4056297 (D.C. Cir. Sept. 3, 2021), Plaintiff-Appellant Gary Anthony appealed the district court’s dismissal of his ERISA breach of fiduciary duty claims and its grant of summary judgment to Defendants, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 1 (“Lodge”) and the IAM National Pension Fund (“Fund”), on his claim for pension benefits…
In Cruz v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, No. 21-2018, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 3889924 (10th Cir. Sept. 1, 2021), Plaintiff-Appellant Eldie Cruz, M.D. appealed the district court’s determination that he was not entitled to long-term disability benefits under a benefit plan insured by Defendant-Appellee Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company. The district court reviewed Reliance Standard’s decision de novo. Dr. Cruz appealed on the basis that under the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution he…
In Lloyd v. Procter & Gamble Disability Benefit Plan, et al., No. 20-4329, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 4026683 (6th Cir. Sept. 3, 2021), Plaintiff-Appellant Mark Lloyd appealed the district court’s judgment upholding the partial denial of his short-term disability benefits claim and the full denial of his long-term disability benefits claim under the Procter & Gamble Disability Benefit Plan. The Sixth Circuit affirmed. For 17 years, Lloyd worked as an IT Systems/Solutions Manager at Procter…
In Hawthorn v. Georgia-Pacific Brewton, LLC, et al., No. 21-10142, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 3852231 (11th Cir. Aug. 30, 2021), Plaintiff-Appellant George Hawthorn appealed the district court’s grant of summary judgment to his former employer, Defendant-Appellee Georgia-Pacific Brewton, LLC, on his claims for ERISA-governed severance benefits and alleged unlawful interference with those benefits prohibited by ERISA § 510. “ERISA prohibits an employer from discharging a participant in an employee benefit plan for the purpose of…
In Sorger v. Novartis Corporation Death Benefit & Disability Plan, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, No. 20-15224, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 3758280 (9th Cir. Aug. 25, 2021), the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order that Defendants Novartis Corporation Death Benefit and Disability Plan (the “Plan”) and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) did not abuse their discretion in terminating Plaintiff-Appellant Neil Sorger’s supplemental long term disability (“LTD”) benefits pursuant to the Plan’s pre-existing condition clause in…
In Williams v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of Am., No. 20-1694, __F.4th__, 2021 WL 3729660 (8th Cir. Aug. 24, 2021), involving a dispute over the denial of accidental death and dismemberment (“AD&D”) insurance policy benefits governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”), the Eighth Circuit considered two questions: (1) Does an AD&D insurance policy qualify as “a health plan” under Maine law, Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 24-A, § 4303, such that…
In Jackson v. AT&T Ret. Sav. Plan, No. 20-30255, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 3624751 (5th Cir. Aug. 16, 2021), pro se Plaintiff-Appellant, Samantha J. Jackson, appealed the dismissal of her ERISA claim based on Defendants AT&T Inc., the AT&T Retirement Savings Plan (“Savings Plan”), the Mobility Program of the AT&T Pension Benefit Plan, AT&T Services, AT&T Mobility Services L.L.C. (“AT&T Mobility”), and Fidelity Workplace Services, L.L.C. alleged breaches of fiduciary duty which led to their…
In Goodman v. Motion Picture Indus., No. 20-55937, __F.App’x__, 2021 WL 3615415 (9th Cir. Aug. 16, 2021), the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment in favor of the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan in this dispute over the Plan’s termination of Plaintiff Cathy Goodman’s spousal benefits following her divorce from Lyle Robbins. The issue is whether the Plan abused its discretion in interpreting the terms of the Plan that provide that a divorced…