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This month’s Friday Five explores decisions regarding the timeliness of appeals, the support necessary to sustain an LTD termination decision, a court’s discretion to credit and discredit expert opinions, the circumstances under which an insured may be required to prove they were prejudiced by the...

This month’s Friday Five addresses two cases involving disability claims that touch on Covid-19, a Circuit Court ruling for an insurer, a district court ruling that a 20-year-old regulatory settlement precluded an insurer from relying on the opinions of physicians it hired, and a claim for breach of...

This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to what constitutes a fiduciary function, a finding of disability despite working full-time, an enforcement of suit limitation clause, the circumstances under which reinstatement is an appropriate remedy, and ERISA preemption. The Saul Ewing LLP...

This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to a plaintiff’s attempts to seal a complaint seeking disability benefits, an administrator’s uncommunicated decision to discontinue its investigation into certain medical conditions, an administrator’s loss of the deferential standard of review for...

The deal reached between the President and House Speaker McCarthy on the debt limit bill includes provisions approving a natural gas pipeline project (Mountain Valley Pipeline) and eliminating any judicial review of its existing and future permits, and also includes some limited reform of the...

This month’s Friday Five explores two recent decisions that discuss limitations on benefits when both physical disability and disability arising from mental illness are alleged, whether remand of a claim by the court constitutes a new appeal or a continuation of the previous appeal, whether an order...

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) finalized its long-awaited Environmental Justice Rules (“EJ Rules”) by publishing them in the New Jersey Register on April 17, 2023. The EJ Rules implement New Jersey’s landmark Environmental Justice Law. In a tandem action, the White...

This month’s Friday Five explores recent decisions that reflect the precise nature of rules and definitions in the context of ERISA claims. For example, effective dates of CFR code provisions and contractually defined limitation periods can draw specific points on the timeline of a case. Similarly...

This month's Friday Five covers cases relating to issue preclusion, coverage where the policy terms are inconsistent with the parties’ behavior, application of the abuse of discretion standard of review, applicability of a waiver of premium provision and compliance with a mandatory appeals process...

This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to potential impacts of COVID-19, full and fair review of the claim file, an attempt to use an insurer’s internal policy against itself, and a “second bite at the apple” by amending a complaint for denial of benefits to include a claim for breach of...

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) is soliciting public comment on its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (“Green Guides”), as part of its analysis of whether to modify, retain, or rescind the Green Guides. The issues raised in the Green Guides potentially impact any company that...

This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to discovery in ERISA benefits cases, an appellate court strictly interpreting ERISA regulatory deadlines, a district court authorizing an ERISA breach of fiduciary duty claim based on alleged misrepresentations from an employer, another district court...

On December 15, 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) published the final amendment to the All Appropriate Inquiry Rule (40 CFR Part 312) (AAI Rule) that establishes the environmental due diligence needed to be eligible for liability protections under the federal superfund...

This month’s Friday Five explores recent decisions that illustrate the importance of the administrative record built by a claims administrator, and the impact that the depth and thoroughness of the record will have on litigation over claims decisions. Whether reviewing claims under the de novo...

Two federal programs administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) provide financial assistance in the form of grants and rebates to public and non-profit entities seeking to replace their existing buses and trucks into clean vehicles. The most recent program was...

This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to augmentation of the administrative record following new rationales, attempted alternative ERISA causes of action, untimely ERISA claims, plans governed by ERISA even in the absence of a written plan document, and the limited weight given to residual...

The Inflation Reduction Act (the “IRA”), signed into law on August 16, 2022, appropriates nearly $27 billion to provide financial assistance to certain entities in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. This “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund” (the “Fund”) is available to a wide range of recipients...