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Supreme Court backs enrollee in 5-4 ERISA attorney's fee case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday decided 5-4 that a federal court can use equitable law principles when a group health plan contract governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is silent about a legal issue.

By Allison Bell | Updated on April 16, 2013
(AP photo/Alex Brandon)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday decided 5-4 that a federal court can use equitable law principles when a group health plan contract governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is silent about a legal issue.

James McCutchen, the plan enrollee in the case, U.S. Airways Inc. vs. McCutchen (11-1285), was badly hurt in an automobile collision caused by another motorist while he working for US Airways Inc. The US Airways plan paid $66,866 in medical expenses. His lawyer helped him file a suit and recover $110,000 from the defendant.

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Allison Bell

Allison Bell

Allison Bell, a senior reporter at ThinkAdvisor and BenefitsPRO, previously was an associate editor at National Underwriter Life & Health. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached through X at @Think_Allison.

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