Legal Opinion
James P. Cotton, Jr. v. Massachusetts Mutual Life
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Decided March 16, 2005No. 02-12409PublishedCited by 257 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
TJOFLAT, Circuit Judge:
Defendant Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. appeals the judgment of the district court in favor of the plaintiffs, James Cotton and Gerald Eickhoff, on their claim for breach of fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. The district court entered judgment for the plaintiffs after striking Mass Mutual’s answer and entering a default as a sanction for discovery violations. On appeal, Mass Mutual makes three arguments: first, that the entry of a default was an abuse of discretion; second, that the well-pleaded…
2Cases cited41 opinions
- Larry Bonner v. City of Prichard, AlabamaCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 1981
- Varity Corp. v. HoweSupreme Court of the United States · 1996
- Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. v. Houston National Bank, Defendant-Third Party v. Jack D. Baize, Third PartyCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 1975
- New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers InsuranceSupreme Court of the United States · 1995
- Pegram v. HerdrichSupreme Court of the United States · 2000
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3Cited by257 opinions
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- David W. Ellis, Jr. v. Gordon R. EnglandCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2005
- Enora Perez v. Wdlls Fargo N.A.Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2014
- Connecticut State Dental Ass'n v. Anthem Health Plans, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2009
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