Boom: The ERISA Law Blog, published by Lane Powell PC, focuses on legal issues related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The blog covers topics such as long term disability claims, attorney fee disputes, procedural requirements for claims administration, standards of review in ERISA litigation, evidentiary burdens for disability claims, and appellate court decisions interpreting ERISA regulations. It discusses practical implications of court rulings from various federal circuits, including the Sixth, Fourth, and Ninth Circuits, addressing claim denial rationales, administrative record considerations, and trial procedures in ERISA benefit disputes.
You already know that the final battleground in lawsuits seeking ERISA-governed long term disability (LTD) benefits is whether a prevailing plaintiff should be awarded prevailing party attorney fees.
Should plaintiffs always recover attorney fees when the ultimate decision to deny…
You know that the ERISA regulations set out claims procedural requirements.
Whether the claims administrator complied with the claims procedure requirements is often a key battleground when a court is determining if the long term disability claim was improperly denied.…
You already know that the Elimination Period in long term disability cases is a key focus in assessing eligibility for benefits.
This new Sixth Circuit case explains:
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As you know, the federal circuits have varying approaches to resolving ERISA denial-of-benefit cases. Some circuits use Rule 56 summary judgment as a process to resolve these cases, while the trend has been to use Rule 52 bench trials to…
Can a district court consider new arguments justifying claim denial that were not articulated in the initial claim denial or appeal? NO. In fact this new Ninth Circuit decision indicates for the first time that it is “clear error” for…
Can a district court consider new arguments justifying claim denial that were not articulated in the initial claim denial or appeal? NO. In fact this new Ninth Circuit decision indicates for the first time that it is “clear error” for…
Can the ERISA claims administrator “cure” inadequacies, made during its initial claim denial, during the appeal process? Yes.
Did a claims administrator’s recommendation, that a claimant receive a job-accommodation, constitute sufficient proof of disability? No.
This new case highlights these…
Sometimes an ERISA-governed disability benefit claim is denied on a specific issue that precludes the need for a full development of the record on the merits of the claim. E.g., claimant was not eligible for benefits because he was not…
What is the most efficient way to invite the district court to resolve ERISA-benefit claims?
What’s the difference between using Rule 56 motions for summary judgment, versus a Rule 52 Motion for Judgment?
This new case highlights why Rule 52…
What happens when an ERISA-governed disability claim is denied solely under the “own occupation” provision, but a reviewing district court concludes the claimant is entitled to “own” occupation benefits?
Does an insurer “waive” an evaluation of the “any occupation” provision…
