[Download] "Coker v. Trans World Airlines Inc." by Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Coker v. Trans World Airlines Inc.
- Author : Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
- Release Date : January 15, 1999
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 68 KB
Description
Few things are more important to people in this uncertain world than their medical insurance, if indeed they are fortunate enough to find themselves in the 85% of the United States population that enjoys some level of coverage. 1997 Statistical Abstract of the United States sec. 2, Table 171 (reporting 1995 data). In many instances, this coverage is provided through an employer-sponsored welfare benefit plan regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, better known as ERISA, 29 U.S.C. sec. 1001 et seq. In this case, Trans World Airlines, Inc. (TWA) mistakenly (and for a substantial period of time) misinformed Douglas Coker and his wife Susan that they were covered by medical insurance when in fact those benefits had ended. When it caught the error, TWA immediately terminated the benefits, leaving Susan with a large medical bill for certain hospital stays. The Cokers sued under ERISA for benefits wrongfully denied, but the district court granted summary judgment for TWA. Susan has now appealed, claiming that TWA was legally estopped from cutting off her benefits. In our view, the district court properly understood the narrow limits of the doctrine of estoppel as it applies in ERISA cases, and we therefore affirm its judgment.