Cuaresma, Jr. v. Farmers Group Disability Income Plan, an ERISA Plan et al

Filing 48

STIPULATION and ORDER signed by District Judge John A. Mendez on 07/09/18 ORDERING that this case is REMANDED to Defendant Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston to fully evaluate the merits of Cuaresma's claim for LTD benefits in compliance with the Policy, and to decide whether Cuaresma is entitled to LTD benefits under the Plan; and that, instead of entering final judgment, the District Court shall RETAIN jurisdiction while this matter is on remand. (Benson, A.)

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 A Professional Corporation  Redwood City  Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley  8 11 PAMELA E. COGAN (SBN 105089) ROBERT M. FORNI, JR. (SBN 180841) ROPERS, MAJESKI, KOHN & BENTLEY 1001 Marshall Street, Suite 500 Redwood City, CA 94063-2052 Telephone: (650) 364-8200 Facsimile: (650) 780-1701 Email: pamela.cogan@rmkb.com; robert.forni@rmkb.com Attorneys for Defendants, FARMERS GROUP DISABILITY INCOME PLAN, and LIBERTY LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON LAURENCE F. PADWAY (SBN 89314) LAW OFFICES OF LAURENCE F. PADWAY 1516 Oak Street, Suite 109 Alameda, CA 94501 Telephone: (510)814-6100 Facsimile: (510)814-0650 14 DAVID J. LINDEN (SBN 41221) Attorney at Law Post Office Box 5780 Napa, CA 94581 Telephone: (707) 252-7007 Facsimile: (707) 252-7883 15 Attorneys for Plaintiff, NARCISIO CUARESMA, JR. 12 13 16 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 17 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 18 19 NARCISIO CUARESMA, JR., Plaintiff, 20 21 v. 22 Case No. 2:15-cv-02192-JAM-EFB STIPULATION AND ORDER REMANDING CASE TO DEFENDANT LIBERTY LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON FARMERS GROUP DISABILITY INCOME PLAN, an ERISA Plan, and LIBERTY LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON, 23 Defendants. 24 25 26 27 28 WHEREAS, in October 2015, Narciso Cuaresma, Jr. (“Cuaresma”) filed suit against Defendants Farmers Group Disability Income Plan (“the Plan”) and Liberty Life Assurance 4852-4877-1436.4 7/6/18 STIPULATION AND ORDER REMANDING CASE TO DEFENDANT CASE NO. 2:15-CV-02192-JAM-EFB 1 Company of Boston (“Liberty”), alleging a single claim under 29 U.S.C. §1132(a) to recover 2 long-term disability (“LTD”) benefits allegedly due to him under the Plan (Docket 1); 3 4 WHEREAS, LTD benefits under the Plan are insured by a Group Disability Income Policy (“the Policy”) that Liberty issued to Farmers Group, Inc.; 5 6 WHEREAS, the Plan is governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. §1001, et. seq. (“ERISA”); 7 WHEREAS, on September 6, 2016, the District Court granted Defendants’ motion for summary judgment on their Sixth Affirmative Defense, on the grounds that Cuaresma had failed 9 to exhaust his administrative remedies under the Plan before filing suit; 10 A Professional Corporation  Redwood City  Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley  8 WHEREAS, after entering its order granting Defendants’ motion for summary judgment 11 on October 19, 2016 (Docket 27), the District Court entered judgment in their favor on October 12 20, 2016 (Docket 28), from which Cuaresma appealed to the Ninth Circuit on October 21, 2016 13 (Docket 30); 14 WHEREAS, on May 31, 2018, the Ninth Circuit filed its Memorandum disposition in 15 which it which reversed judgment and remanded “with instructions to the district court to remand 16 this case to Liberty to fully evaluate the merits of Cuaresma’s claim in compliance with the 17 Policy,” and Mandate then issued on June 22, 2018 (Docket 43); 18 19 WHEREAS, Cuaresma filed a cost bill in this Court on June 14, 2018 (Docket 42), to which Defendants object (Docket 46); 20 IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED by and between the parties, through 21 their counsel of record in this action, that the Court shall remand this case to Defendant Liberty 22 Life Assurance Company of Boston to fully evaluate the merits of Cuaresma’s claim for LTD 23 benefits in compliance with the Policy, and to decide whether Cuaresma is entitled to LTD 24 benefits under the Plan. 25 IT IS FURTHER STIPULATED AND AGREED by and between the parties, through 26 \\\\ 27 \\\\ 28 \\\\ -24852-4877-1436.4 STIPULATION AND ORDER REMANDING CASE TO DEFENDANT CASE NO. 2:15-CV-02192-JAM-EFB 1 their counsel of record in this action, that, instead of entering final judgment, the District Court 2 shall retain jurisdiction while this matter is on remand. 3 Dated: July 6, 2018 LAW OFFICES OF LAURENCE F. PADWAY 4 5 By: /s/ Laurence F. Padway LAURENCE F. PADWAY DAVID J. LINDEN Attorneys for Plaintiff, NARCISIO CUARESMA, JR. 6 7 Dated: July 6, 2018 ROPERS, MAJESKI, KOHN & BENTLEY 9 10 A Professional Corporation  Redwood City  Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley  8 By: /s/ Robert M. Forni, Jr. PAMELA E. COGAN ROBERT M. FORNI, JR. Attorneys for Defendants, FARMERS GROUP DISABILITY INCOME PLAN, and LIBERTY LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON 11 12 13 14 15 ORDER 16 PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this case is 17 remanded to Defendant Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston to fully evaluate the merits of 18 Cuaresma’s claim for LTD benefits in compliance with the Policy, and to decide whether 19 Cuaresma is entitled to LTD benefits under the Plan; and that, instead of entering final judgment, 20 the District Court shall retain jurisdiction while this matter is on remand. 21 22 IT IS SO ORDERED. Dated: July 9, 2018 /s/ John A. Mendez____________ Hon. John A. Mendez United States District Court Judge 23 24 25 26 27 28 -34852-4877-1436.4 STIPULATION AND ORDER REMANDING CASE TO DEFENDANT CASE NO. 2:15-CV-02192-JAM-EFB

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