Commercial Life Insurance v. Superior Court

*475Opinion

PANELLI, J.

—We areasked to decide whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) (29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.) preempts a private cause of action brought under California Insurance Code section 790.03, subdivision (h),1 where the action asserts a claim arising from an employee benefit plan. We conclude that ERISA does preempt such an action.

Joseph V. Juliano’s employer sponsored an employee benefit plan insured by Commercial Life Insurance Company and Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (collectively referred to as Commercial). It is undisputed that the plan was the type…