Leckey v. Stefano

OPINION OF THE COURT

AMBRO, Circuit Judge.

This is a battle for William Knapp’s estate. It is in federal court because he kept much of his wealth in employee benefit trusts that were subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001-1461. Boiled down, plaintiff Janice Leckey, on behalf of herself and the estate of her deceased mother Evelyn Knapp (who initiated this suit before she died), claims that both ERISA and the terms of the various plans gave Evelyn 1 an interest in her husband’s ERISA benefits. He, however, took lump-sum distributions of almost…