Previously I had written about the 6th Circuits expansion of what constitutes appropriate remedies under ERISA, when it affirmed a judgment directing a disability insurer to pay not just benefits due, but also $2.8 million in earnings.
As a refresher, the original case, Rochow v. Life Ins. Co. of N. America, dealt with an executive who fell seriously ill and applied for long-term disability benefits, which were denied. His estate sought disgorgement of profits in addition to benefits, and the Court awarded $3.78 million award that consisted of $910,629 in denied benefits and $2.8 million more in earnings based LINAs rate of return on equity, which ranges between 11% and 39% per year.
