United States Sixth Circuit

In a suit alleging that defendant-employer breached its promise to provide lifetime retiree medical benefits to plaintiffs at no cost, a district court decision in favor of plaintiffs is reversed on interlocutory appeal where a 1998 collective labor agreement did not provide workers with a right to no-cost retiree medical benefits that vested as soon as the worker became eligible for retirement or a pension.

Appellate Information

• Decided 01/27/2009
• Published 01/27/2009

Judges

• Before:  MARTIN, ROGERS, and SUTTON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Sixth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Joseph J. Torres, Winston & Strawn, LLP, Chicago, Illinois, for Appellant.  William T. Payne, Stember, Feinstein, Doyle & Payne, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  Joseph J. Torres, Columbus R. Gangemi, Jr., Winston & Strawn, LLP, Chicago, Illinois, for Appellant.  William T. Payne, John E. Stember, Pamina Grace Ewing, Stember, Feinstein, Doyle & Payne, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Ann Alexander, Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, Nashville, Tennessee, Michael M. Mulder, Meites, Mulder, Mollica & Glink, Chicago, Illinois, Jay E. Sushelsky, AARP Foundation Litigation, Washington, D.C., for Appellees.  Phillip A. Kilgore, Brian D. Black, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., Diane M. Soubly, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, Boston, Massachusetts, Donald L. Havermann, Daniel P. Bordoni, John F. Ring, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Amici Curiae.