Moore v. Apple Central, LLC, No. 17-1815 (8th Cir. 2018)
Annotate this CaseApple acquired the Rogers, Arkansas Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, and offered its employees a benefits package that included Guardian life insurance. Megan Moore alleged that employee James Moore enrolled for “basic life coverage” equal to 150% of his $62,000 annual salary, and “voluntary term life coverage” equal to five times his salary ($310,000). Megan, his designated primary beneficiary, alleged that Apple withheld premiums for the voluntary coverage from Moore’s salary until he died in 2013, but “failed to pay over those premiums” and to forward Moore’s application to Guardian. Mehan filed a proof of claim with Guardian, which indicated that premiums had not been received. Megan sued, asserting state law claims for breach of contract, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and promissory estoppel and seeks actual and punitive damages. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the complaint. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), 29 U.S.C. 1132(a), preempted all of Moore’s claims. “Allowing state law claims premised on the existence of an ERISA plan to proceed against the plan administrator would affect relations between primary ERISA entities and impact the administration of the plan.” The court noted that Moore's Second Amended Complaint alleging claims under ERISA, 29 U.S.C. 1132(a)(1)(B) and (a)(3) for wrongful denial of plan benefits, breach of fiduciary duty, and equitable estoppel, remains pending.
Court Description: Loken, Author, with Benton and Erickson, Circuit Judges] Civil case - ERISA. Plaintiff's state law claims are preempted by the exclusive ERISA remedies in 29 U.S.C. Sec. 1132(a).
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