Opinion ID: 1123028
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Decisions Since FMC Corporation v. Holliday

Text: ERISA as interpreted by FMC Corporation v. Holliday has spawned many opinions, both state and federal. No clear rule can be discerned from these cases. A few guidelines do appear, however. First, state subrogation rules generally are preempted by ERISA. Second, an ERISA plan's rights to subrogation and reimbursement are governed by the terms of the plan when those terms are unambiguous. The courts have significantly disagreed over the effect of reimbursement language similar to that contained in the Ft. Howard plan when, as is the case here, the undisputed facts show that the plan beneficiary was not made whole by the payments she received. In most states reimbursement is not allowed against one who has not been made whole by the settlement or judgment in which the party seeking reimbursement claims a right. [3]