United States Third Circuit

In a state law and ERISA case brought by beneficiaries of two different employee benefit plans that purchased point-of-service policies, an order requiring defendants' production of otherwise privileged attorney-client communications is vacated where, even if the court were to adopt the fiduciary exception to the attorney-client privilege, the exception would not apply to defendants in this case.

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/13/2006
• Decided 04/02/2007
• Published 04/02/2007

Judges

• ROTH, Circuit Judge., Before SMITH and ROTH, Circuit Judges YOHN , District Judge.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Herve Gouraige, Esquire, Epstein, Becker & Green, Newark, NJ, Jay H. Calvert, Jr., Esquire, Peter Buscemi, Esquire (Argued), Joseph B.G. Fay, Esquire, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Washington, D.C., John J. Gibbons, Esquire, Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, Newark, NJ, for Appellants Health Net, Inc.;   Health Net of the Northeast, Inc.;   Health Net of New Jersey, Inc., Arlin M. Adams, Esquire, Bruce P. Merenstein, Esquire, Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis LLP, Philadelphia, PA, Stephanie Kanwit, Esquire, Deborah Reichmann, Esquire, Washington, D.C., for Amicus-Appellant America's Health Insurance Plans, Inc.


• For Appellees:
  
• Stanley M. Grossman, Esquire, D. Brian Hufford, Esquire, Robert J. Axelrod, Esquire, Pomerantz Haudek Block Grossman & Gross LLP, New York, NY, Stuart M. Feinblatt, Esquire, Barry M. Epstein, Esquire, Barbara Gail Quackenbos, Esquire, A.R. Pearlson, Esquire (Argued), Sills, Cummis, Epstein & Gross, Newark, NJ, for Appellees., Jay E. Sushelsky, Esquire, AARP Foundation Litigation, Melvin R. Radowitz, Esquire, Washington, D.C., for Amicus-Appellee American Assoc. of Retired Persons.