George G. Blessitt and Willie Neal, Jr. v. Retirement Plan for Employees of Dixie Engine Co., Defendants

ANDERSON, Circuit Judge:

The narrow but important issue in this case is whether, when a defined benefit plan terminates, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) requires that a defined benefit plan pay an employee the full, unreduced pension benefit the employee would have received had he continued to work until normal retirement age. We conclude that when a plan terminates, ERISA does not require that employees receive the normal retirement benefit they would have received had they continued to work to normal retirement age. In other words, ERISA does not require that employees…