The Supreme Court’s April 21, 2010 decision in Conkright v. Frommert upholds the continuing vitality of deference owed to an ERISA plan administrator as established in Firestone v. Bruch. In light of recent widespread attacks on discretionary clauses in ERISA plans, the decision is a welcomed relief. The bottom line? Deference cannot be stripped away simply because a plan administrator made a mistake in interpreting the terms of the plan. Please see the attached memo for further details.
View the Conright v. Frommert Decision