Opinion ID: 1262494
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Pilot Plan

Text: To bring a civil action under ERISA, a plaintiff must have . . . statutory standing. Leuthner v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Northeastern Pa., 454 F.3d 120, 125 (3d Cir.2006); accord Adamson v. Armco, Inc., 44 F.3d 650, 655 (8th Cir. 1995) (holding that plaintiffs lacked statutory standing). To have statutory standing under ERISA for a breach of fiduciary duty claim, a plaintiff must be a participant, beneficiary or fiduciary of the ERISA plan. 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(2). Hastings and Karpiuk, as IAM members, have not alleged that they were participants, beneficiaries or fiduciaries of the Pilot Plan. Therefore, Hastings and Karpiuk lack standing over their claims that the NWA Defendants and the Pilot Defendants breached their fiduciary duties to Pilot Plan participants and beneficiaries. Nonetheless, Hastings and Karpiuk argue that they have standing by virtue of having brought a class action pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 because an individual in one ERISA benefit plan can represent a class of participants in numerous [ERISA benefit] plans other than his own, if the gravamen of the plaintiff s challenge is to the general practices which affect all of the plans. Fallick v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 162 F.3d 410, 422 (6th Cir.1998); accord Forbush v. J.C. Penney Co., 994 F.2d 1101, 1105-06 (5th Cir.1993). Our circuit has not adopted this rule, and we need not decide whether to adopt such a rule at this time. Because the district court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over the breach of fiduciary duty claims involving the IAM Plan, Hastings and Karpiuk cannot rely on those claims to establish standing for similar causes of action brought on behalf of the Pilot Plan participants and beneficiaries. As a result, Hastings and Karpiuk must have standing to pursue their breach of fiduciary duty claims involving the Pilot Plan and cannot rely on Fallick and Forbush to obtain such standing. See Hall v. Lhaco, Inc., 140 F.3d 1190, 1196 (8th Cir. 1998) (holding that an individual who lacks standing to pursue a claim under one ERISA benefit plan cannot obtain standing over that same plan through a class action lawsuit). Because Hastings and Karpiuk were not participants, beneficiaries or fiduciaries of the Pilot Plan, the district court correctly held that Hastings and Karpiuk lacked standing to bring claims on behalf of the Pilot Plan participants and beneficiaries.