Opinion ID: 765804
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: ERISA Claim for Failure to Provide Documents

Text: 33 Mr. Shields seeks review of the district court's dismissal of his claim for penalties, under Section 502(c) of ERISA (29 U.S.C. sec. 1132(c)), against the plan administrators for their alleged failure to provide to him certain Pension Plan documents. He submits that the defendants violated 29 U.S.C. sec. 1024(b)(4) by failing to provide copies of the January 1989 and March 1967 versions of the Pension Plan within 30 days of his request. Section 1024(b)(4) provides: The administrator shall, upon written request of any participant or beneficiary, furnish a copy of the latest updated summary plan description, and the latest annual report, any terminal report, the bargaining agreement, trust agreement, contract, or other instruments under which the plan is established or operated. 29 U.S.C. sec. 1024(b)(4). 34 We agree with the district court that outdated plan descriptions do not fall into any of the categories of documents a plan administrator must provide to plan participants under section 1024(b)(4). Shields v. Local 705, Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters, No. 96 C 1928, 1996 WL 616548 (N.D. Ill. 1996) (citing Jackson v. E.J. Brach Corp., 937 F. Supp. 735, 739 (N.D. Ill. 1996)). We therefore affirm the district court's dismissal of the plaintiff's claim for penalties.