Opinion ID: 2762647
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Years of Service

Text: Guerra argues that an ambiguity exists in the Plan's definition of Years of Service. Years of Service are defined in § 1.35 of the Plan as the period of employment for BPPR or an affiliated company measured in years and months. In addition, Years of Service include years of active participation or employment with a handful of specified companies during limited periods when those companies were not affiliates of BPPR. Guerra argues that § 1.35 is ambiguous insofar as it leaves open the possibility that there may be other, unspecified exceptions. We rejected such thinking in Riley, when we reaffirmed our commitment to the principle of expressio unius est exclusio alterius. 744 F.3d at 249. The [expressio unius] maxim instructs that, when parties list specific items in a document, any item not so listed is typically thought to be excluded. . . . While this interpretive maxim is not always dispositive, it carries great weight . . . . Id. (quoting Smart, 70 F.3d at 179) (alteration and first omission in original). Here, the mere inclusion of specifically articulated exceptions does not render § 1.35 of the Plan ambiguous.