Opinion ID: 204137
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether Liberty's Decision Was an Abuse of Discretion

Text: Cusson argues that the factors discussed in Section II(B), supra, which she claims show that Liberty was influenced by its conflict, also show that Liberty's ultimate decision was an abuse of discretion. For the same reasons we articulated above, we do not believe that these factors prove that Liberty's decision was an abuse of discretion. Cusson further argues that, contrary to the conclusions of Liberty and its reviewers, the surveillance video does not actually contradict any of her self-reported disabilities. Cusson never claimed that she was entirely incapable of performing normally; rather, she only claimed that she was unable to function normally most of the time. Thus, Cusson argues, given how infrequently she was seen outside of her home during the course of the surveillance, the surveillance is consistent with her claim of disability, and it was an abuse of discretion for Liberty to use it as evidence against her claim. Cusson notes that the surveillance video represents a mere two hour snapshot from twenty days of her life over the course of four months. [3] Cusson cites a number of cases in which courts have held that it was an abuse of discretion to rely on such limited surveillance data. See, e.g., Soron v. Liberty Life Assurance Co., 2005 WL 1173076, at  (N.D.N.Y. May 2, 2005) (surveillance cannot be used to discount plaintiff's self-reported symptoms where it shows her performing isolated activities for brief periods of time with no revelation of consequences); Osbun v. Auburn Foundry, Inc., 293 F.Supp.2d 863, 870 (N.D.Ind. 2003) (1.5 hours of surveillance video over two days fell short of demonstrating that plaintiff was capable of sustaining a job); Cross v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 292 Fed. Appx. 888, 892 (11th Cir.2008) (five days of surveillance resulting in two hours of video provided a mere snapshot of plaintiff's activities and failed to take into account impact of those activities on plaintiff). We conclude that it was reasonable to use the surveillance as evidence against Cusson's claim of disability. We have permitted ERISA plan administrators to use this type of sporadic evidence in the past. See, e.g., Denmark II, 481 F.3d at 38 (it was not arbitrary and capricious for Liberty to consider reports and photographs from four days of surveillance that showed claimant outside only for short periods of time on two of the four days); Tsoulas, 454 F.3d at 79 (no abuse of discretion where Liberty considered surveillance evidence consisting of four hours per day for three days even though it only represented a smallimpliedly non-representativefraction of each day). More importantly, although the limited amount of time she was seen outside her home is a factor that weighs in Cusson's favor, Liberty was certainly entitled to take notice of the fact that the video shows Cusson doing particular activities that she claimed she could not do. For example, she is seen going into large stores on two separate occasions, despite having claimed that she avoided malls because they were too big and preferred small stores. While we of course recognize that a Home Depot or a Wal-Mart is not the same thing as a mall, we cannot say that it was an abuse of discretion for Liberty and its reviewers to conclude that Cusson's apparent ability to navigate very large stores contradicted her claim that her illness required her to frequent small stores. The surveillance also shows Cusson bending, kneeling, picking up large objects such as a bag of cat litter, and pushing a loaded cart, despite the fact that the Functional Capacities Form completed by Figueroa on May 7, 2004 indicated that Cusson was physically unable to perform these activities. Because we find that Liberty was entitled to credit the surveillance, we are left to determine whether Liberty's ultimate conclusion was supported by the totality of the evidence. We find that it was. Cusson argues that Liberty failed to consider her objective evidence of disability. However, the record reflects that Liberty reached its decision not because it failed to consider the evidence in Cusson's favor, but because it determined that the surveillance results undermined the credibility of important portions of that evidence. Because we review Liberty's decision under an abuse of discretion standard, we must uphold it if we find that it was reasoned and supported by substantial evidence in the record. [4] Vlass, 244 F.3d at 30 (internal quotation marks omitted). Evidence is substantial when it is reasonably sufficient to support a conclusion. Evidence contrary to an administrator's decision does not make the decision unreasonable, provided substantial evidence supports the decision. Wright v. R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. Group Benefits Plan, 402 F.3d 67, 74 (1st Cir.2005). Because we cannot say that the evidence in this case was insufficient to support Liberty's conclusion, we affirm Liberty's decision to terminate Cusson's benefits.