By, Sam Schwartz-Fenwick and Jim Goodfellow
Seyfarth Synopsis: In an opinion that may result in increasingly complex ERISA benefits litigation, the Eighth Circuit has allowed a breach of fiduciary duty claim premised on alleged faulty claims handling practices to proceed in conjunction with a claim for benefits.
In a case that should catch the attention of ERISA plan administrators, the Eighth Circuit in Jones v. Aetna Life Insurance Company, et al held that a breach of fiduciary duty claim premised on improper claims handling could survive a motion to dismiss, even where the plaintiff also brought a claim for benefits seeking the same unpaid benefits.
In Jones, Plaintiff brought two claims against insurer Aetna: 1) a claim for benefits premised on Aetna’s termination of Plaintiff’s disability benefit; and 2) a breach of fiduciary duty claim premised on Aetna’s claims handling practices. The district court dismissed the breach of fiduciary duty claim as duplicative of the claim for benefits, citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Varity Corp. v Howe, 516 U.S. 489 (1996)...
