United States Fifth Circuit

A claim seeking a declaration of entitlement to the retention of tort settlement proceeds, free of a plan's claim for reimbursement of health care benefits, is completely preempted by ERISA section 502(a)(1)(B), giving the district court subject matter jurisdiction.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/10/2003
• Published 08/19/2003

Judges

• EDITH H. JONES, Circuit Judge:, Before JONES and EMILIO M. GARZA, Circuit Judges, and ELLISON, District Judge.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Errol John King, Jr., Ashley Byrd Lowe, Juston M. O'Brien, Emily B. Grey, McGlinchey Stafford, Baton Rouge, LA, for Louisiana Managed Healthcare Ass'n Inc., Healthcare Recoveries Inc. and United Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Amici Curiae., Edward H. Cooper, University of Michigan, School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI, for University of Michigan Law School, Amicus Curiae., Dana M. Muir, University of Michigan, School of Business Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, for University of Michigan Business School, Amicus Curiae., Thomas H. Lawrence, John Morris Russell, Lawrence & Russell, Memphis, TN, for Benefit Recovery Inc., Amicus Curiae., James L. Craig, Washington, DC, for Elaine Chao, Secretary, Dept. of Labor, Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• George Davidson Fagan (argued), Leake & Andersson, New Orleans, LA, for Plaintiff-Appellee., Perry R. Staub, Jr., Michael Warren Hill (argued), Taggart, Morton, Ogden, Staub, Rougelot & O'Brien, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant-Appellant.