James v. Int’l Painters, et al.

Plaintiff filed suit alleging that the International Plan denied him benefits to which he was entitled. The parties disputed whether plaintiff accrued enough credit under an earlier plan, the Local 963 Plan, which was later merged into the International Plan. On appeal, at issue was whether, because of the procedural irregularities in the administrator's handling of the claim, the district court should have applied a de novo standard of review. The court concluded that the district court applied the correct standard and affirmed the judgment, concluding that plaintiff had not alleged Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), 29 U.S.C. 1001 et seq., violations that rose to a level requiring a more stringent standard of review. View "James v. Int'l Painters, et al." on Justia Law