Liu v. Kaiser Permanente Employees Pension Plan for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc.

District Court, N.D. California·Decided June 20, 2024·No. 3:23-cv-03109·Unknown

Opinion

SHERRY YALI LIU, Case No. 23-cv-03109-AMO

Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO v. DISMISS

KAISER PERMANENTE EMPLOYEES Re: Dkt. No. 30 PENSION PLAN FOR THE et al., Defendants. This case arises under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”). Defendants’ motion to dismiss was heard before this Court on May 16, 2024. Having read the papers filed by the parties and carefully considered their arguments therein and those made at the hearing, as well as the relevant legal authority, the Court hereby GRANTS the motion to dismiss for the following reasons. I. BACKGROUND1 Plaintiff Sherry Yali Liu is the surviving sister of decedent Ya-Xia Liu. First Am. Compl. (“FAC,” ECF 25) ¶ 3. Defendant Kaiser Permanente Employees Pension Plan For The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (the “Plan”) is a pension plan organized under ERISA. FAC ¶ 4. Defendant Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (“KFHP”) is the administrator and named fiduciary under Section F-1 of the Plan Document. FAC ¶ 4.2 Decedent Ya-Xia Liu was a participant in the Plan through her employment at Kaiser Permanente and as a member of the 1 The Complaint makes the following allegations, which the Court accepts as true for purposes of the motion to dismiss. See Usher v. City of Los Angeles, 828 F.2d 556, 561 (9th Cir. 1987). Service Employees International Union, Local 250, United Healthcare Workers in the Northern California Region. FAC ¶¶ 3, 10. Ya-Xia began her employment at Kaiser Permanente in June 2000 and took a leave of absence beginning in May 2021. FAC ¶¶ 10, 11. Ya-Xia died on March 29, 2022, at age 68, while still on leave from Kaiser. FAC ¶¶ 12, 13. “Ya-Xia Liu never married, had no domestic partner, had no children, and had no dependents of any kind.” FAC ¶ 14. After Ya-Xia’s death, Plaintiff submitted a claim for Ya-Xia’s Plan benefits. FAC ¶ 19. Plaintiff’s claim was denied via a letter dated October 3, 2022 (“Claim Denial Letter”). FAC ¶ 20. The Claim Denial Letter explained that no benefits were payable to Plaintiff for several reasons, including that (1) the Plan had not been provided with any information indicating that Ya-Xia had a qualified dependent; and (2) Ya-Xia did not make a valid benefit election before her death, which was a prerequisite for designating Plaintiff as her beneficiary. FAC ¶ 19. Plaintiff appealed the denial via a letter dated December 28, 2022. FAC ¶ 21; Kang Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. 1 (“Appeal Letter”).3 In her Appeal Letter, Plaintiff asserted that Ya-Xia “substantially complied and would have fully complied” with the Plan’s benefit election procedures had she not died. Kang Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. 1. Plaintiff further stated that “Ya-Xia Liu would have completed all the required forms if she had not died and/or the Plan had not provided false information to her as to who was a proper beneficiary.” Id. Additionally, in her declaration attached to her Appeal Denial letter, Plaintiff acknowledged that “a benefit election for my sister was initiated online on her behalf” but she never stated that her sister completed the benefit election. Id. Plaintiff further stated that her sister elected a single sum payout, and she was her sister’s designated beneficiary. Kang Decl. ¶ 3, Ex. 1. In addition, Plaintiff stated that her sister died before her benefit starting date and, therefore, the benefit should have been paid to Plaintiff. Id.; see also FAC ¶ 23. The Appeals Subcommittee of the Kaiser Permanente Administrative Committee (the “Appeals Subcommittee”) denied Plaintiff’s appeal via a letter dated April 4, 2023 (“Appeal Decision Letter”). FAC ¶ 24; Kang Decl. ¶ 4, Ex. 2 (Appeal Decision Letter). The Appeal Decision Letter explained that Ya-Xia’s benefits are not payable to Plaintiff because: (1) Plaintiff is not Ya-Xia’s surviving spouse or domestic partner, and Plaintiff did not provide sufficient evidence to prove that she was Ya-Xia’s qualified dependent, as defined in the Plan; (2) Ya-Xia did not make a valid benefit election before her death to select a benefit starting date or to designate Plaintiff as her beneficiary; (3) Ya-Xia died while employed by Kaiser and before she completed a valid benefit election under the Plan; (4) Plaintiff cannot be Ya-Xia’s “eligible designated beneficiary” under Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) § 401(a)(9)(E)(ii) (26 U.S.C. § 401(a)(9)(E)(ii)), because the Plan is not a defined contribution plan subject to the “eligible designated beneficiary” rules; and (5) by not allowing payment to Plaintiff, the Plan does not permit the improper reversion of the Plan assets to the employer. Id. Plaintiff initiated this lawsuit against Kaiser by complaint filed on June 23, 2023. ECF 1. Plaintiff filed the now-operative First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) on October 17, 2023. ECF 25. In the FAC, Plaintiff asserts claims for relief under ERISA §§ 502(a)(1)(B) and (3). FAC ¶ 1. Specifically, she brings three claims for relief: (1) the first claim is against the Plan only and seeks to enforce Ya-Xia’s election to roll over her benefits into an E*Trade securities account and award the benefits to Plaintiff as Ya-Xia’s beneficiary of the rollover account (FAC ¶¶ 31-49); (2) the second claim is also against the Plan only and requests that the court construe the Plan document consistent with the provisions of Title 26 U.S.C. § 401(a)(9)(E) and award benefits to Plaintiff as Ya-Xia’s beneficiary (FAC ¶¶ 50-64); and (3) the third claim is against KFHP only and seeks the equitable remedies of reformation and surcharge for KFHP’s alleged breach of fiduciary duty in “administering, investigating and deciding” Plaintiff’s claim and appeal by “failing to properly train and supervise its agents – employees of the Kaiser Retirement Center and members of the ‘Administrative Committee’ to comply with and enforce THE PLAN DOCUMENT as written and required to conform to the retirements of 26 U.S.C. § 409(a)(9)(E)” (FAC ¶¶ 65-70). Defendant filed the instant motion to dismiss on December 1, 2023, in response to the A. Legal Standard A motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) tests for the legal sufficiency of the claims alleged in the complaint. Ileto v. Glock, 349 F.3d 1191, 1199-1200 (9th Cir. 2003). Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8, which requires that a complaint include a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), a complaint may be dismissed under Rule 12(b)(6) if the plaintiff fails to state a cognizable legal theory, or has not alleged sufficient facts to support a cognizable legal theory. Somers v. Apple, Inc., 729 F.3d 953, 959 (9th Cir. 2013). While the court is to accept as true all the factual allegations in the complaint, legally conclusory statements, not supported by actual factual allegations, need not be accepted. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009). The complaint must proffer sufficient facts to state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 558-59 (200

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Liu v. Kaiser Permanente Employees Pension Plan for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., (N.D. Cal. 2024).

Liu v. Kaiser Permanente Employees Pension Plan for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (Liu v. Kaiser Permanente Employees Pension Plan for The Permanente Medical Group, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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