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Erisa: Jury Trial Mandated For Benefit Claims Actions, George Lee Flint Jr

Faculty Articles

When the United States Supreme Court faces the issue of fashioning a federal common law of ERISA, some district courts have suggested it will decide in favor of the right to a jury trial for benefits-due lawsuits. Legislative history indicates that Congress views the benefits-due lawsuit as contractual, realizing both state and federal courts treat them as contractual under pre-ERISA law, even LMRA, and expressly intended to increase the legal remedies under benefits-due lawsuits. Contractual legal remedies require the right to a jury trial. However, even in the absence of legislative history, constitutional provisions mandate a jury trial. This is …