Insurance – Reinstatement

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Donna Geiger v. Aetna Life Insurance Company

Case No.: 16-2790

Officials: WOOD, Chief Judge, EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge, and SHADID, District Judge

Focus: Insurance – Reinstatement

Plaintiff-appellant Donna Geiger’s long term disability insurance benefits were terminated after Aetna Life Insurance Company (“Aetna”), the insurer and administrator of her employee welfare benefit plan (“the Plan”), found that she no longer met the Plan’s definition of total disability from any gainful occupation. After unsuccessfully appealing the termination decision, Geiger brought an action seeking reinstatement of her benefits in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The district court denied Geiger’s request to conduct limited discovery and ultimately granted summary judgment in favor of Aetna and against Geiger, holding that Aetna’s decision was not arbitrary and capricious or a product of a conflict of interest warranting discovery. We affirm.

Affirmed

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.