United States Eighth Circuit

In an interpleader action, summary judgment denying defendant the benefits from a 401(k) Plan which her former stepfather had maintained, and awarding the proceeds to his mother instead, is reversed where: 1) a plan administrator's initial determination -- that a beneficiary designation by decedent was enforceable under the plan -- was entitled to deference under the abuse of discretion standard, despite its later filing of the interpleader; and 2) there was no abuse of discretion in a finding that a beneficiary designation was enforceable under the plan terms, even though a change of beneficiary form did not describe defendant's relationship to the decedent.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/19/2006
• Published 10/19/2006

Judges

• JOHN R. GIBSON, Circuit Judge., Before LOKEN, Chief Judge, JOHN R. GIBSON and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Eighth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Denise Y. Tataryn, argued, Minneapolis, MN (Marshall H. Tanick, Minneapolis, MN, on the brief), for Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Katherine L. MacKinnon, argued, St. Louis Park, MN, for Appellee.