Mealey's (March 5, 2018, 10:38 AM EST) -- NEW ORLEANS — An en banc Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals majority on March 1 overruled the “abuse of discretion” standard outlined in Pierre v. Conn. Gen. Life Ins. Co., 932 F.2d 1552, 1562 (5th Cir. 1991), and held that the default de novo standard in Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Bruch, 489 U.S. 101, 115 (1989), applies when an Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan administrator’s denial of coverage is based on a factual determination (Ariana M. v. Humana Health Plan of Texas, Incorporated, No. 16-20174, 5th Cir., 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 5227)....