Opinion ID: 2787077
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Internal Textual Argument

Text: United’s argument from the Plans’ text is that § 5.03 entitles only “[a] Participant who retires on an Early Retirement Date” to benefits (emphasis added). They argue that “retire” means “retire from United,” because “‘Retirement Date’ expressly required ‘actual retirement’ from the Company with an immediate right to draw down a pension benefit.” Opening Br. at 14. (Recall that by definition all TVPs left United before they were old enough to retire from the company at age 59½ or 60.) But no definition in any plan defines “retire” or “Retirement Date” with reference to separation from United. Instead, both the 1980 and 1987 Plans (at § 1.31) define “Retirement Date” as the date of “actual retirement,” but not actual retirement from United. For support, United cites pages 1645 ¶ 18 and 1684 ¶ 27 of the Joint Appendix. Both citations lead to United’s statement of material facts in support of its motion for summary judgment, and that document in turn cites an expert 21 report by Nancy Keppelman (an ERISA lawyer) interpreting the Plans. Setting aside the problem of considering expert testimony on the interpretation of a pension plan, which is a purely legal question and not properly the subject of expert testimony, Nieves-Villanueva v. Soto-Rivera, 133 F.3d 92, 99 (1st Cir. 1997) (collecting circuit cases); Haberern v. Kaupp Vascular Surgeons Ltd. Defined Ben. Plan & Trust Agreement, 812 F. Supp. 1376, 1378 (E.D. Pa. 1992), the expert does not even support United’s interpretation of the meaning of “retire.” Keppelman writes, “The cross-reference [from § 7.02 to § 5.03] did not confer early retirement benefits on [TVP]s.” Keppelman Report 7, Jan. 24, 2012, ECF No. 154-14. It may be that “the cross reference” does not confer early retirement benefits, but § 7.01 explicitly does, and § 7.02 clarifies that the amount of the benefits conferred by § 7.01 “shall be determined in accordance with” § 5.03 (emphases added). By drafting an actuarial adjustment into the Plan, United is requiring the benefits to be calculated not in accordance with § 5.03, the exact opposite of the Plan’s requirements.