Source: http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20180404_0002299.WWA.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 04:32:13+00:00

Document:
FindACase | Gallupe v. Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.
Gallupe v. Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.
SEDGWICK CLAIMS MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC, Defendant.
THIS MATTER comes before the Court on Defendant Monsanto Company Employee Benefits Plan Committee's Motion to Dismiss. (Dkt. No. 18.) Having reviewed the Motion, the Response (Dkt. No. 23), the Reply (Dkt. No. 26) and all related papers, the Court shall convert the Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss to a Rule 56 motion for summary judgment under Rule 12(d), and shall continue the motion for ninety days to allow the parties to conduct discovery.
In general, the Court may not consider materials beyond the pleadings in ruling on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion without converting it into a Rule 56 motion for summary judgment. See Van Buskirk v. CNN, 284 F.2d 977, 980 (9th Cir. 2002). However, even where a document is not attached to the complaint, it may be incorporated by reference if “the plaintiff refers extensively to the document or the document forms the basis of the plaintiff's claim.” U.S. v. Ritchie, 342 F.3d 903, 908 (9th Cir. 2003). “The doctrine of incorporation by reference may apply, for example, when a plaintiff's claim about insurance coverage is based on the contents of a coverage plan, or when a plaintiff's claim about stock fraud is based on the contents of SEC filings.” Id. (citations omitted). Where authenticity is not contested, Courts routinely consider plan documents at the motion to dismiss stage in ERISA cases. See, e.g., In re Syncor ERISA Litig., 351 F.Supp.2d 970, 977-83 (C.D. Cal. 2004); Groves v. Kaiser Found. Health Plan, Inc., 32 F.Supp.3d 1074, 1079 n.4 (N.D. Cal. 2014); Parrino v. FHP, Inc., 146 F.3d 699, 706 (9th Cir. 1998).
The Committee contends that because Plaintiff's claims derive entirely from the terms of the Plans, the Plan documents may properly be considered by the Court on its motion to dismiss under the doctrine of incorporation by reference. (Dkt. No. 18 at 4.) The Committee submits for the Court's review copies of the Welfare Plan (Dkt. No. 18, Ex. A) and the Disability Plan (Dkt. No. 18, Ex. B).
While the Plan documents suggest that the Committee in fact delegated its authority to determine disability claims and appeals to Sedgwick and may properly be dismissed (see Anderson v. Sun Life Assur. of Canada, Inc., 647 Fed. App'x 772, 774 (9th Cir. 2016), vacated on other grounds, 652 Fed. App'x 527 (9th Cir. 2016)), there remains an unresolved dispute as to the authenticity and completeness of these documents. Accordingly, the Court cannot properly rule on the motion to dismiss without first converting it into a Rule 56 motion for summary judgment. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(d) (“If, on a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) or 12(c), matters outside the pleadings are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment under Rule 56. All parties must be given a reasonable opportunity to present all the material that is pertinent to the motion.”).

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