Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendant-pension plan’s motion for summary judgment in action under ERISA by plaintiff (daughter of retired employee who was named as beneficiary of employee’s pension plan) seeking to challenge defendant’s decision to deny her claim for pension benefits, where employee had died three days prior to scheduled date of first payment of retirement benefits. Terms of pension plan directed that employee’s spouse, if any, was only individual who could collect pension benefits if employee had died prior to receiving first payment of retirement benefits, and plaintiff could not collect any pension benefits since: (1) employee had died prior to receiving any payment of retirement benefits; and (2) plaintiff was not spouse of employee. Moreover, defendant’s interpretation of pension plan was reasonable, especially where “spouse-only” provision was based, in part, on certain provisions of U.S. tax code.
Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
ERISA