United States Ninth Circuit

Death from high-altitude edema during a mountain-climbing expedition is a form of "accidental injury" rather than "disease" as those terms are commonly understood. Since the life insurance policy defined neither term, this death does not fall within the policy's "disease" exclusion.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/08/2003
• Decided 12/23/2003
• Published 12/23/2003

Judges

• McKEOWN, Circuit Judge:, Before D.W. NELSON, KOZINSKI, and McKEOWN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jeffrey M. Batchelor,Lisa A. Kaner, and Paul Bierly, Markowitz, Herbold, Glade & Mehlhaf, P.C., Portland, OR;  Jeffrey Mutnick, Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP, Portland, OR, for the plaintiff-appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Lisa E. Lear, Douglas G. Houser, and Robert B. Miller, Bullivant Houser Bailey P.C., Portland, OR, for the defendant-appellee.