The firm has represented companies in litigation over retiree health and other welfare benefits.
Sidley Secures Landmark Victory in U.S. Supreme Court
- In this landmark Supreme Court case, Sidley successfully argued that a health maintenance organization was not acting as a fiduciary under ERISA when it made treatment decisions. Pegram v. Herdrich, 530 U.S. 211 (2000).
Victory for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in Dismissal of Putative Class Action
- We won dismissal of a putative class action brought by beneficiaries of healthcare plans based on their lack of standing. According to the court, the plaintiffs did not allege that they “suffered any particularized and concrete injuries” as a result of the alleged misconduct, and so could not show that they “were affected ‘in a personal and individual way.’” Cox v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, 216 F. Supp. 3d 820 (E.D. Mich. 2016).
Sidley Secures Favorable Outcome on Behalf of Pharmacia
- The court agreed that Pharmacia properly amended its retiree medical plan for certain legacy company employees and that those amendments barred the claims of the putative class. Sullivan v. Monsanto Co., 2010 WL 4702353 (E.D. La. 2010).
Successful Defense of Magellan Health Services Challenging Controlled Healthcare Costs
- We successfully defended Magellan Health Services, Inc. in two consolidated class actions challenging the use of managed care techniques to control healthcare costs. The plaintiffs also claimed that Magellan was liable under ERISA and RICO for failing to disclose certain “medical necessity” criteria in the plaintiffs’ insurance documents. The court dismissed the complaint based on, among other things, the plaintiffs’ failure to allege a cognizable injury. Doe v. Magellan Health Services, Inc. (D. Md. 2003).