[co-author: Thomas Horan]
Be careful what you ask for. The Plaintiff in a recent case from the Central District of California learned that lesson when the Plan’s re-evaluation of her claim for benefits revealed that she was apparently working as a stunt coordinator and stunt actress, despite having received disability pension payments for nearly ten years. In Hoffman v. Screen Actors Guild-Producers Pension Plan, the Plaintiff sought to convert her disability pension to an “occupational disability pension” to receive the additional benefit of health coverage. The Plan denied her request, finding a lack of evidence that her disability (severe depression) had resulted from her employment as a stunt actress. The Benefits Committee denied her appeal of that decision, and Plaintiff brought suit to challenge that determination. No. 2:16-cv-01530, 2016 WL 6537531 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 2, 2016).
The district court granted the Plan’s original motion for summary judgment on May 3, 2012. The Ninth Circuit reversed that decision, finding that the Plan had failed to provide Plaintiff a full and fair review, and directed that the case be remanded to the Plan to obtain a second medical opinion. The Plan submitted Plaintiff’s file for consideration by two panels, including six different specialists. Five specialists reached the conclusion that Plaintiff had never been “totally disabled” under the Plan. The sixth found that she could work in jobs that met certain criteria.
The review also revealed that Plaintiff had continued working as a stunt coordinator since 2004, despite receiving disability pension benefits because she was “unable to work.” Plaintiff’s personal website, LinkedIn profile, and IMDb page listed stunt and acting credits from 2004 through 2010. Plaintiff removed these posts after Defendants brought them to the court’s attention in supplemental pleading.
In March 2016, the Benefits Committee both denied Plaintiff’s appeal as to her “occupational disability pension” and terminated her disability pension. Plaintiff again sued to challenge that determination. The parties agreed that the Plan gave discretion to the administrator, and the court applied an abuse of discretion standard. The court found that the decision to deny Plaintiff benefits was neither arbitrary nor capricious.
The court found that the Benefits Committee had given Plaintiff a clear, reasoned explanation of its decision, and that it was rationally based on two reports, from six different medical specialists, as well as on Plaintiff’s various internet profiles. As the Committee did not abuse its discretion, the court found that Plaintiff lacked standing to challenge the Plan’s failure to comply with disclosure requirements, as she lacked a colorable claim on her suit for benefits.
This case demonstrates the value of thoroughly investigating a claim for benefits, and documenting the investigation. What plaintiffs say in court filings or claims for benefits is not always consistent with what they say in other arenas. This decision shows that courts are willing to consider evidence that plaintiffs’ social media or internet presence can disprove their claims to be totally disabled or otherwise unable to work.
