Opinion ID: 498491
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ERISA Preemption of State Claims

Text: 11 The district court's decision that ERISA preempts appellants' state law claims is a conclusion of law and is reviewable de novo. U.S. v. McConney, 728 F.2d 1195, 1201 (9th Cir.1984). 12 ERISA, at 29 U.S.C. Sec. 1144(a), states that its sections shall supersede any and all State laws insofar as they may now or hereafter relate to any employee benefit plan. State law is defined as all laws, decisions, rules, regulations, or other State action having the effect of law, of any State. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 1144(c)(1). 13 ERISA's preemptive scope is broad, but not all-encompassing. Martori Bros. Distribs. v. James-Massengale, 781 F.2d 1349, 1356 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 107 S.Ct. 435, 93 L.Ed.2d 385 (1986); see also Pilot Life Ins. Co. v. Dedeaux, --- U.S. ----, 107 S.Ct. 1549, 1553, 95 L.Ed.2d 39 (1987); Kanne v. Connecticut General Life Ins. Co., 819 F.2d 204, 205 (9th Cir.1987). Thus, any state claims that relate to ERISA are preempted, so long as the relationship is not too tenuous, remote or peripheral. Shaw v. Delta Airlines, 463 U.S. 85, 100 n. 21, 103 S.Ct. 2890, 2901 n. 21, 77 L.Ed.2d 490 (1983). We have stated that state law is preempted if the conduct sought to be regulated by the state law is 'part of the administration of an employee benefit plan'; that is, the state law is preempted if it regulates the matters regulated by ERISA: disclosure, funding, reporting, vesting, and enforcement of benefit plans. Martori Bros., 781 F.2d at 1358. 14 Under this standard, appellants' state claims of breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and fraud are all preempted. In Scott, all of these state claims were raised and were deemed preempted by ERISA insofar as they involved benefits relating to past employment. Scott v. Gulf Oil Corp., 754 F.2d 1499, 1505-06 (9th Cir.1985). Here, as in Scott, all of the state claims relate to enforcement of the benefit plan; all represent appellants' attempt to force Shell to provide severance benefits. As such, we hold that they are preempted. 15