Opinion ID: 217949
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Confirmation Statements.

Text: In 2001 through 2004, Qwest mailed Confirmation Statements to retirees. See 4 App. 688 (2001), 690 (2002), 693 (2003), 695 (2004). These statements confirmed that life insurance coverage was available under the Plan, and contained a statement noting that Qwest reserved the right to amend or terminate Plan benefits except for those who retired before 1991. See, e.g., id. at 688-89. However, the Confirmation Statements also stated that The exact details of these plans are included in the legal plan documents that govern them. If there's a discrepancy between this worksheet and the plan documents, the plan documents will govern. See, e.g., id. at 689. The district court held that although the Confirmation Statements contained misrepresentationsthat Qwest could not amend the Plan as to Pre-1991 RetireesPlaintiffs failed to allege reliance on those statements. Kerber, 656 F.Supp.2d at 1292. Thus, the district court held, even assuming the misrepresentations were material, summary judgment for Qwest was appropriate because an allegation of detrimental reliance was required to sustain a breach of fiduciary duty claim premised on material misrepresentations. Id. We need not decide whether detrimental reliance is a required element of a claim for breach of fiduciary duty premised on material misrepresentations. The misrepresentations in the Confirmation Statements were not material, and therefore summary judgment to Qwest on this issue was appropriate. [3] A misrepresentation is material `if there is a substantial likelihood that it would mislead a reasonable employee in making an adequately informed [retirement] decision.' Horn v. Cendant Operations, Inc., 69 Fed.Appx. 421, 428 (10th Cir.2003) (unpublished) (quoting Jordan v. Fed. Exp. Corp., 116 F.3d 1005, 1015 (3d Cir.1997)). In this case, all Plaintiffs asserting Claim 2 retired in or before 1991. See 1 Aplt.App. 32-34; 5 Aplt.App. 959 (asserting Claim 2 on behalf of only Pre-1991 Retirees). The first of the Confirmation Statements were sent nearly a decade later, in 2001. See 4 Aplt.App. 688. Therefore, any misrepresentations in the Confirmation Statements could not have informed Plaintiffs' retirement decisions in any way. Accordingly, the misrepresentations in the Confirmations Statements were immaterial, and summary judgment to Qwest was appropriate. Indeed, we doubt whether any of the alleged misrepresentations are material. On appeal, Plaintiffs strongly emphasize that they do not challenge Qwest's ability to terminate the Basic Life Coverage. Aplt. Br. 17. Rather, they argue only that Qwest could not amend the Basic Life Coverage below the amount set forth in the Minimum Benefits Provision. Id. We fail to see how misrepresentations regarding Qwest's ability to decrease life insurance coverage would effect a reasonable employee's retirement decision, where Qwest admittedly retains the right to terminate life insurance coverage. We would think that a reasonable employee who knew that Qwest could terminate life insurance coverageyet still retired under the 5+5 Optionwould make the same decision even with the knowledge that Qwest could reduce that same coverage. In any event, the record reveals that the only actual misrepresentation made by Qwestcontained in the Confirmation Statements first distributed in 2001was not material, as it was issued nearly ten years after Plaintiffs decided to retire and not obtain other life insurance. Therefore, the district court correctly granted summary judgment to Qwest on Claim 2 of the SAC. AFFIRMED.