Hennen v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
ERISA
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 17-3080
Decision Date: 
September 14, 2018
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Reversed and remanded

Dist. Ct. erred in granting defendant-insurance company’s motion for summary judgment  in plaintiff-employee’s ERISA action, alleging that defendant improperly discontinued long-term disability benefits under one of its policies, where, although terms of policy generally limited such benefits for two years, plaintiff successfully established exception to said limitation, where she had qualifying radiculopathy diagnosis. Defendant improperly ignored opinions of four doctors, including one of its own, who diagnosed plaintiff with radiculopathy in favor of one doctor, who also recommended that additional testing be done to determine plaintiff’s medical status. As such, defendant’s denial was arbitrary, especially where defendant declined to pursue additional testing as recommended by one of its doctors.