Houston v. Unum Life Insurance Co. of America

OBERDORFER, District Judge:

In this ERISA action, Plaintiff-Appellant appeals a district court order upholding Defendant-Appellee’s termination of her long-term disability benefits. For the reasons here stated, we REVERSE the district court judgment and order, and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Diagnosis and Initial Disability Determinations

The administrative record reveals the following facts. Pauletta Houston worked for Ritz-Carlton Hotels for approximately 22 years. She was last employed there on April 18, 2002, when she was 57 years old. Her…