Walker v. Metropolitan Life Insurance

ORDER DENYING CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND PROPOUNDING INTERROGATORY TO DEFENDANT METLIFE

WILLIAM ALSUP, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

In this disability-benefits action under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, plaintiff David Walker sued defendants Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and the Kaiser Permanente Flexible Benefits Plan for denying his claim for long-term disability benefits. The proper standard of review for MetLife’s claim determination is abuse of discretion. A necessary factor in the abuse of discretion analysis is MetLife’s undisputed structural conflict of…