Legal Opinion
Colby v. Union Security Insurance Co. & Management Co. for Merrimack Anesthesia Associates Long Term Disability Plan
Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Decided January 17, 2013No. 11-2270PublishedCited by 53 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
SELYA, Circuit Judge.
This cutting-edge case involves the existence vel non of an obligation to pay long-term disability (LTD) benefits under a conventional group insurance plan. The central question is whether, in an addiction context, a risk of relapse can be so significant as to constitute a current disability. Although we recognize that our decision creates a circuit split, we answer this ques tion affirmatively and uphold the district court’s award of LTD benefits to the plaintiff. In our view, a risk of relapse into substance dependence—like a risk of relapse into cardiac distress or a…
2Cases cited20 opinions
- Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. BruchSupreme Court of the United States · 1989
- Metropolitan Life Insurance v. GlennSupreme Court of the United States · 2008
- In Re KOREAN AIR LINES DISASTER OF SEPTEMBER 1, 1983. Appeal of Plaintiffs Steering CommitteeCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1987
- Conkright v. FrommertSupreme Court of the United States · 2010
- Leahy v. Raytheon CorporationCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2002
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3Cited by53 opinions
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- Stephanie C. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue, Inc.Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2017
- Niebauer v. Crane & Co., Inc.Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · 2015
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