(United States Ninth Circuit) - In an ERISA action against defendants IBM and claim administrator Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. (MetLife),the district court's entry of summary judgment for defendants is reversed where MetLife abused its discretion in denying plaintiff's claim for long-term disability benefits in light of the financial clash of interest of the independent physician consultants (IPCs) handling the claim, substantial evidence of plaintiff's mental limitations due to pain medication, or the IPCs review of plaintiff's condition and rejection of his credibility without ever examining him.
Source: findlaw.com