Claudia Lown v. Continental Casualty Company

Affirmed by published opinion. Chief Judge WILKINSON wrote the opinion, in which Judge TRAXLER and Senior judge CACHERIS joined.

OPINION

WILKINSON, Chief Judge:

Claudia Lown argues that the federal courts lack subject matter jurisdiction over this case because her long term disability plan was a church plan not governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq. (1994) (“ERISA”). Lown further argues that if jurisdiction is proper, the district court erred in finding that she was not totally disabled under the plan. Because ERISA applies to Lown’s plan, and because…