Opinion ID: 201501
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Review of Denial of Wright's STD and LTD Claims

Text: 51 Wright argues that even under the deferential arbitrary and capricious standard Hartford's denial of Wright's STD and LTD benefits was not supported by substantial evidence. Specifically, Wright claims that Dr. Lieberman's diagnosis of sleep apnea, along with his opinion that Wright was totally disabled, cannot reasonably be diminished by any other evidence in Mr. Wright's file. Appellant's Br. at 32. 52 The district court found that there was not substantial disagreement that Wright suffered from sleep apnea or that Wright's memory was generally average or above, except for some limited areas — causing some impairment to his cognitive capacities. See App. at A93. The district court noted, however, that based on the entire medical record there was disagreement among all the physicians (including Wright's treating physicians and Hartford's independent medical examiners) as to the extent of the impairment and the impact on Wright's ability to perform his essential job functions. Id.; see Matias-Correa v. Pfizer, Inc., 345 F.3d 7, 12 (1st Cir.2003) (noting that it is not the court's role to evaluate how much weight an insurer should have accorded the opinion of an independent medical consultant relative to the opinions of a claimant's own physicians). The district court reasoned that although there was conflicting medical evidence, there was sufficient evidence that Wright's impairments were minor and not disabling according to the STD and LTD Plan provisions. Id.; see also Vlass v. Raytheon Employees Disability Trust, 244 F.3d 27, 30 (1st Cir.2001) ([T]he existence of contradictory evidence does not, in itself, make the administrator's decision arbitrary.). 53 Mindful of the deferential nature of arbitrary and capricious or abuse of discretion review, we conclude that the district court properly granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants.