Paul v. Detroit Edison Co.

94 F. Supp. 3d 880, 60 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 2551, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40061, 2015 WL 1469314
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedMarch 30, 2015
DocketCase No. 13-14256
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 94 F. Supp. 3d 880 (Paul v. Detroit Edison Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paul v. Detroit Edison Co., 94 F. Supp. 3d 880, 60 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 2551, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40061, 2015 WL 1469314 (E.D. Mich. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

SEAN F. COX, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter is before the Court on: (1) Plaintiffs Motion to Consider Relevant [882]*882Union Contract Issue [Dkt. 13]; (2) Plaintiffs Motion to Consider Relevant Case History and Inclusion in the Case Summary [Dkt. 14]; (3) Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment [Dkt. 21]; (4) Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment [Dkt. 20]; and (5) Plaintiffs Motion to Dismiss Defendants’ Counter Claim [Dkt. 25]. Each motion has been briefed by the parties. The Court held oral argument on the motions on March 17, 2015, and all parties were in attendance. For the following reasons, Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, and the remaining motions are DENIED.

II. BACKGROUND

John R. Paul, Jr. (“Plaintiff’) was employed by Michigan Consolidated Gas Company (“MichCon”) from March 5, 1984 through July 1, 2009. Plaintiff switched between unionized and non-unionized positions during his employment:

(1) Plaintiff worked as a “temporary employee” from March 5, 1984 through July 10, 1988. He was not a participant in any benefit plan sponsored by Mich-Con during this period;
(2) Plaintiff worked as a “regular employee” from July 11, 1988, through November 23, 1991, during which time he was represented by Local 223 of the Utility Workers Union of America (“Local 223”) and accrued years of credited service in the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Pension Plan (n/k/a the DTE Gas Company Retirement Plan for Employees Covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements) (the “Plan”);
(3) Plaintiff worked as a non-union employee from November 24,1991, through March 28, 1992, during which time he accrued years of credited service under the MCN Energy Group Retirement Plan (n/k/a the DTE Energy Company Retirement Plan) (the “DTE Plan”); and
(4)Plaintiff transferred back to a union position from March 29, 1992, through his retirement on July 1, 2009, during which time he was again represented by Local 223 and resumed accruing years of credited service under the Plan.

See Dkt. 20, pp. 2-3.

Plaintiff began considering retirement in late 2007. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 5, Mar. 17, 2015. At that time, Plaintiff requested and received a Pension Calculation Statement estimating his potential retirement benefits from Aon Hewitt, the third-party administrator for the Plan and the DTE Plan. Plaintiff also received Pension Calculation Statements during the summer of 2008, on April 13, 2009, and at his May 6, 2009 retirement interview. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 12, 14-16, Mar. 17, 2015. The “baseline information,” such as Plaintiffs personal identifying information, credited service calculations, and date of hire were identical on all four Pension Calculation Statements. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 8, 12, Mar. 17, 2015. The date of hire listed on the Pension Calculation Statements was March 5, 1984. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 8, 12, Mar. 17, 2015. See also Dkt. 20 Ex. 3 p. 2.

At 1:00 p.m. on May 6, 2009, Plaintiff and his wife attended a retirement interview at the Local 223 Union Hall on Commerce Drive in Dearborn, Michigan. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 17-18, Mar. 17, 2015. A company representative acting on behalf of Defendants facilitated the meeting. The company representative brought a series of retirement documents for Plaintiff and his wife, and he reviewed those documents with Plaintiff. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 17, Mar. 17, 2015. A Pension Calculation Statement was among those documents (hereinafter the “Retirement Interview Statement”). See Mot. Summ. J. [883]*883Hr’g Tr. 17-18, Mar. 17, 2015. Plaintiff and the company representative discussed the lump-sum payment and monthly annuity payment that Plaintiff would receive upon retirement. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 24, Mar. 17, 2015. Plaintiff and the company representative also discussed Plaintiffs hire date and the calculation of Plaintiffs years of credited service. Given the union and non-union positions Plaintiff held during his employment, Plaintiff questioned the company representative about the computation of his years of credited service; specifically, Plaintiff questioned what effect the transfers between union and non-union jobs would have on the accrual of his years of credited service. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 18-20, Mar. 17, 2015. The company representative indicated that the information on the Retirement Interview Statement was correct, as Plaintiffs pension was calculated using the March 5, 1984 hire date listed among the baseline information. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 19-20, 22, Mar. 17, 2015. The company representative further explained that, from Plaintiffs original hire date of March 5, 1984, Plaintiffs four pensions would all be bridged together. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 18-20, 22, Mar. 17, 2015; See also Scheduling Conference Tr. 9-10, Apr. 23, 2014; See also Dkt. 21, p. 3.

The Retirement Interview Statement indicated that Plaintiff had accrued 23.9701 “Benefit Service (years).!’ Dkt. 21, p. 3. This figure, which was provided on the first page of that statement among the previously mentioned baseline information, was preceded by the following language at the top of the page:

Your benefit from the MichCon Retirement Plan was calculated based on the information listed below as of April 1, 2009. Once your calculation data is final, we’ll recalculate your benefit and notify you if there is a change.

id. The cover letter accompanying the Retirement Interview Statement, however, included this language:

Call the Your Benefits Resources Center if there are any changes in the information on the Pension Calculation Statement that was used to calculate your benefit. A change in any of the information could cause a difference in the actual benefit you receive.

See Dkt. 20 Ex.- 2 p. 2.

The company representative also presented Plaintiff and his wife with a Mich-Con Retirement Plan Pension Election Authorization Form (“Authorization Form”) at the retirement interview. The Authorization Form provided the specific benefits Plaintiff and his wife would receive during his retirement, among them a 70% lump sum payment of $93,169.71, as well as monthly annuity payments in the amount of $772.17, effective July 1, 2009. Dkt. 20 Ex. 4 p. 3. These amounts were consistent with those stated in the Retirement Interview Statement. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 18-20, 22, 24, Mar. 17, 2015. After reviewing the documents and discussing the aforementioned information with the company representative, Plaintiff and his wife signed the Authorization Form. See Mot. Summ. J. Hr’g Tr. 20, Mar. 17, 2015. The Authorization Form included this language:

[I certify] that I understand that DTE Energy reserves the right to correct any errors. If it’s determined at any time that the information provided on this statement conflicts with the benefit defined by the [Plan], the [Plan] will prevail. Under the law, a plan must be operated in accordance with its terms.

See Dkt. 20 Ex. 7 p. 30-34. The company representative witnessed the signatures and took the documents at the conclusion [884]*884of the meeting. See Mot. Summ.

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Bluebook (online)
94 F. Supp. 3d 880, 60 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 2551, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40061, 2015 WL 1469314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-v-detroit-edison-co-mied-2015.