United States Seventh Circuit
RLJCS Enters. v. Prof'l Benefit Trust Multiple Employer Welfare Benefit Plan and Trust, 06-3408
READ
In an ERISA suit against an employers insurance trust claiming entitlement to distributions of stock attributable to policies covering the plaintiffs while the policies were owned by the trust, summary judgment for defendant-trust is affirmed where: 1) the district court did not err in excluding witness reports since they conveyed legal rather than "expert" opinions; 2) the terms of the trust agreement unambiguously made the trust the owner of each life-insurance policy and entitled the trust to control any value derived from the policy; and 3) one party's unilateral decision to give its contracting partner a benefit not required by the contract's terms does not create any entitlement to future gifts.
Appellate Information
- Argued 04/09/2007
- Decided 05/02/2007
- Published 05/02/2007
Judges
- EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge., Before EASTERBROOK, Chief Judge, and BAUER and KANNE, Circuit Judges.
Court
- United States Seventh Circuit
Counsel
- For Appellant:
- Richard L. Coffman (argued), Coffman Law Firm, Beaumont, TX, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.
- For Appellees:
- Douglas S. Robson, Columbus R. Gangemi, Jr. (argued), Cheryl Tama Oblander, Winston & Strawn, Chicago, IL, Richard D. Hart, Handler, Thayer & Duggan, Chicago, IL, for Defendants-Appellees.