DISCLAIMER: The following unofficial case summaries are prepared by the clerk's office
as a courtesy to the reader. They are not part of the opinion of the court.
211559P.pdf 12/27/2021 Todd Roehr v. Sun Life Assur.Co.of Canada
U.S. Court of Appeals Case No: 21-1559
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - Eastern
[PUBLISHED] [Erickson, Author, with Kelly and Grasz, Circuit Judges]
Civil case - ERISA. The district court properly evaluated the termination
of plaintiff's long-term disability benefits under the abuse-of-discretion
standard; here, the plan relied on virtually the same medical records for
a decade while it paid the benefits, and has pointed to no information
available to it that altered in some significant way its decision to pay
benefits; such an about-face requires "relevant evidence" that a
"reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support" the change in
decision; here, that evidence does not exist in the record, and the
district court decision affirming the termination of benefits is reversed;
remanded with direction to the district court to order reinstatement of
benefits as of the date of termination.