Rodriguez v. Aetna Life Insurance

859 F. Supp. 2d 1332, 2012 WL 1681702, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67622
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedMay 15, 2012
DocketCase No. 11-62684-CIV
StatusPublished

This text of 859 F. Supp. 2d 1332 (Rodriguez v. Aetna Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rodriguez v. Aetna Life Insurance, 859 F. Supp. 2d 1332, 2012 WL 1681702, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67622 (S.D. Fla. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO PARTIALLY DISMISS AMENDED COMPLAINT

JAMES I. COHN, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon Defendant Aetna Life Insurance Company’s Motion to Partially Dismiss Amended Complaint [DE 25]. The Court has considered the Motion, Plaintiff Carmen Rodriguez’s Response [DE 27], Defendant’s Reply [DE 29], the record in this case, and is otherwise fully advised in the premises.

I. BACKGROUND

On December 19, 2011, Plaintiff Carmen Rodriguez filed this action against Defendant Aetna Life Insurance Company to enforce her rights under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq. (“ERISA”). See Complaint [DE 1], According to the Amended Complaint [DE 16], Plaintiff seeks judicial reversal of an allegedly wrongful decision by Defendant, as a claim administrator for an ERISA-governed employee welfare benefit plan, to deny Plaintiff long-term disability benefits. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 8-11, 24-25, 33, 37, 50, 51. [1333]*1333Plaintiff requests that the Court grant her the following relief:

declaratory and injunctive relief, finding that [she] is entitled to all past due short term and long term disability benefits yet unpaid under the terms of the Plan, and that Defendant be ordered to pay all future short term and long term disability benefits according to the terms of the Plan until such time as Plaintiff is no longer disabled or reaches the benefit termination age of the Plan.

Id. ¶ 52. Defendant seeks to dismiss Plaintiffs requests for injunctive relief and future benefits pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Mot. at 2-4.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

Under Rule 12(b)(6), a motion to dismiss lies for “failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). In order to state a claim, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). “While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitle[ment] to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.’ ” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 545, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (citations omitted). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

At this stage in the litigation, the Court must consider the factual allegations in the Complaint as true, and accept all reasonable inferences therefrom. Jackson v. Okaloosa Cnty., Fla., 21 F.3d 1531, 1534 (11th Cir.1994). Nevertheless, the Court may grant a motion to dismiss when, “on the basis of a dispositive issue of law, no construction of the factual allegations will support the cause of action.” Marshall Cnty. Bd. of Educ. v. Marshall Cnty. Gas Dist., 992 F.2d 1171, 1174 (11th Cir.1993).

III. ANALYSIS

Defendant argues that Plaintiffs requests for injunctive relief and future benefits must be dismissed because these forms of relief are unavailable. See Mot. at 2-A. Plaintiff disagrees. See Resp. The Court addresses each form of relief in turn.

A. Injunctive Relief

Section 1132(a) describes the persons empowered to bring civil actions under ERISA. See 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a). Subsection (a)(1)(B) provides that a participant or beneficiary may bring a civil action “to recover benefits due to him under the terms of his plan, to enforce his rights under the terms of the plan, or to clarify his rights to future benefits under the terms of the plan.” 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B). A separate sub-section, (a)(3), provides that a participant,. beneficiary, or fiduciary may bring a civil action “(A) to enjoin any act or practice which violates any provision of this subchapter or the terms of the plan, or (B) to obtain other appropriate equitable relief (i) to redress such violations or (ii) to enforce any provisions of this subchapter or the terms of the plan.” 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(3). The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that “an ERISA plaintiff with an adequate remedy under § 1132(a)(1)(B), cannot alternatively plead and proceed under § 1132(a)(3).” Katz v. Comprehensive Plan of Group Ins., 197 F.3d 1084, 1088 (11th Cir.1999) (affirming dismissal of § 1132(a)(3) claims because complaint also [1334]*1334asserted claim for benefits under § 1132(a)(1)(B)).

Although the Amended Complaint does not specify the sub-section under which Plaintiff seeks relief, Defendant contends that Plaintiff brings her claim under § 1132(a)(1)(B), not § 1132(a)(3), because a suit for recovery of benefits, such as this one, is brought pursuant to § 1132(a)(1)(B). See Mot. at 3 (citing Featherston v. Met. Life Ins. Co., 389 F.Supp.2d 1302, 1315 (N.D.Fla.2005)). Plaintiff does not argue otherwise. See Resp. at 2, 3 (reiterating that “Defendant notes that Plaintiff pursues benefits pursuant to Section 11132(a)(1)(B),” and arguing “Section 1132(a)(1)(B) does permit a civil action for clarification of. rights to future benefits.”).

Defendant asserts that’ any request for injunctive relief must therefore be dismissed. However, Plaintiff responds that “if this Honorable Court interprets that an enforcement of [Plaintiffs] rights under the statute is a form of-injunctive relief, [Defendant’s] argument fails.” Resp. at 3.

As noted above, because Plaintiff brings her claims under § 1132(a)(1)(B), she may not. pursue relief under § 1132(a)(3). Therefore, any request for injunctive relief under § 1132(a)(3) is improper and will be dismissed. See Chiroff v. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am., 142 F.Supp.2d 1360, 1365-66 (S.D.Fla.2000) (dismissing § 1132(a)(3) claim because plaintiff asserted a § 1132(a)(1)(B) claim).

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Related

Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
John Halpin v. W.W. Grainger, Incorporated
962 F.2d 685 (Seventh Circuit, 1992)
Jackson v. Okaloosa County
21 F.3d 1531 (Eleventh Circuit, 1994)
Chiroff v. Life Insurance Co. of North America
142 F. Supp. 2d 1360 (S.D. Florida, 2000)
Featherston v. Metropolitan Life Insurance
389 F. Supp. 2d 1302 (N.D. Florida, 2005)
Herring v. Aetna Life Insurance
843 F. Supp. 2d 1305 (S.D. Florida, 2012)

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Bluebook (online)
859 F. Supp. 2d 1332, 2012 WL 1681702, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rodriguez-v-aetna-life-insurance-flsd-2012.