Trustees of the Electricians’ Salary Deferral Plan, et al. v. Pamela Wright

No. 11-2051 (U.S. 8th Cir., August 21, 2012)

We prevailed on a competing claim for ERISA benefits, which a deceased electrical worker had intended to leave to his cousin.  Another relative of the deceased claimed that the deceased was not of sound mind when he changed the beneficiary on his pension plan to his cousin. The case was initially filed with the pension plan administrator, then to the pension plan’s appeals committee. From there, it was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, where we obtained summary judgment for our client.  On appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Eighth Circuit affirmed the District Court’s decision, allowing our client to obtain the benefits of the plan.

Related Practice: Appellate Litigation