3rd Circuit: Termination Of LTD Benefits Is Reasonable Despite 1 Medical Opinion

Mealey's (March 3, 2020, 7:16 AM EST) -- PHILADELPHIA — An insurer’s decision to deny long-term disability (LTD) benefits despite the medical opinion of one “outlier” was not unreasonable under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and the federal district court reasonably denied discovery regarding the possible conflict of interest of the insurer’s in-house reviewer, the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed Feb. 24 in an unpublished opinion (Giovanna Reichard v. United of Omaha Life Insurance Co., No. 18-2952, 3rd Cir.; 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 5548)....