News Detail

Dismissal of a Putative Class Action by New York Attorneys Published in New York Law Journal

October 2009

The dismissal of a putative class action New York attorneys Michael Bernstein, John Seybert and Elizabeth Chesler secured for MetLife was published as a decision of interest in the attached New York Law Journal.

Plaintiffs alleged that our client had breached its fiduciary duties under ERISA by paying life insurance benefits by issuing to beneficiaries a checkbook to access a fully funded account instead of a lump-sum settlement check. Sedgwick convinced the court that payment via checkbook account was the payment methodology required by the putative class representative’s respective life insurance benefits plans, so paying benefits in this manner did not violate any ERISA fiduciary duty. The court also agreed with Sedgwick that the plaintiffs lacked Article III constitutional standing to seek disgorgement and restitution because neither had suffered an injury-in-fact.

Related People

Bernstein, Michael H.
Seybert, John T.

Related Practices

Class Action

Related Offices

New York