William BAGSBY, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CENTRAL STATES, SOUTHEAST & SOUTHWEST AREAS PENSION FUND, Defendant-Appellee

OPINION

MERRITT, Circuit Judge.

In this action, the plaintiff, William Bags-by, challenges the denial of higher monthly pension benefits under § 502(a)(1)(B) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B) (ERISA). The issue is whether the defendant, the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Pension Plan, acted reasonably in determining that the plaintiff did not qualify for a so-called “30-And-Out Pension” paying $2,000 a month. The trustees of the Central States Plan denied the plaintiffs claim for the 30-And-Out Pension because the plaintiffs employer,…