Opinion ID: 679507
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Seventh Amendment Right to Jury

Text: 70 Finally, plaintiffs challenge the district court's order granting Chevron's motion to strike their jury demand. They argue that several of their claims, particularly the claim for distribution of surplus assets, seek a money judgment and thus are legal in nature so as to entitle them to a jury trial. 71 To determine whether a particular action will resolve legal rights, we examine both the nature of the issues involved and the remedy sought. Chauffeurs, Teamsters, and Helpers, Local No. 391 v. Terry, 494 U.S. 558, 565, 110 S.Ct. 1339, 1345, 108 L.Ed.2d 519 (1990). This analysis consists of two inquiries: (1) a comparison of the present statutory action to 18th-century actions in the courts of England before the merger of the courts of law and equity; and (2) an examination of the relief sought to determine whether it is legal or equitable in nature. Id. Of the two, the latter inquiry bears more weight. Id. 72 Here, the first inquiry is relatively simple, as ERISA law is closely analogous to the law of trusts, an area within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of equity. Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Bruch, 489 U.S. 101, 110, 109 S.Ct. 948, 954, 103 L.Ed.2d 80 (1989) (ERISA abounds with the language and terminology of trust law. ERISA's legislative history confirms that the Act's fiduciary responsibility provisions 'codif[y] and make[ ] applicable to [ERISA] fiduciaries certain principles developed in the evolution of the law of trusts' ) (internal citations omitted; brackets in original). We have held, as have the majority of the other circuits, that ERISA claims do not entitle a plaintiff to a jury trial. Calamia v. Spivey, 632 F.2d 1235, 1237 (5th Cir.1980) (inquiry into whether plan administrators acted arbitrarily and capriciously is action usually performed by judges). See also Kirk v. Provident Life and Accident Ins. Co., 942 F.2d 504, 506 (8th Cir.1991) (summarily rejecting jury trial argument); Blake v. Unionmutual Stock Life Ins. Co., 906 F.2d 1525, 1526 (11th Cir.1990) (claim for money damages was in effect claim for benefits plaintiffs were allegedly entitled to under the plan, which is traditionally equitable relief). 73 The second inquiry, although not as clear cut, also persuades us that plaintiffs' claims sound in equity. Some relief sought by plaintiffs is clearly equitable: they sought specific performance as a remedy to cure the alleged breaches of the duty of loyalty stemming from Chevron's promises to set aside reserves for Gulf Plan participants. 74 Plaintiffs' requests for monetary recovery on other claims, traditionally the form of relief offered in courts of law, do not mandate a conclusion that their action is legal in nature. Calamia, 632 F.2d at 1236-1237 (The mere fact that the appellant would receive a monetary award if he prevailed does not compel the conclusion that he is entitled to a jury trial). The Supreme Court has recognized two exceptions to the general rule that a claim seeking monetary recovery is legal in nature. In Terry, the Court made clear that a request for monetary recovery sounds in equity, and thus does not guarantee a jury trial, when it is restitutionary in nature or is intertwined with claims for injunctive relief. Terry, 494 U.S. at 570-71, 110 S.Ct. at 1348. The first exception is particularly relevant in this case. Plaintiffs' request for distribution of surplus assets is analogous to an action for disgorgement of improper profits. In this claim, as well as in the now settled claims for breach of fiduciary duty, plaintiffs seek restitution of money allegedly wrongly held by the defendants. 75 We hold that plaintiffs' claim is equitable in nature. The district court did not err in striking plaintiffs' demand for a jury. 29