Court Opinion

ID: 9495743
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:09:20.314152+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:10.581824
License: Public Domain

SILER, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
Although I concur in the resolution of this case, I write separately because I do not think that we need to adopt the “treating physician rule” in this case. I would be inclined to adopt the decision of the Eighth Circuit in Conley v. Pitney Bowes, 176 F.3d 1044 (8th Cir.1999), when it held that the “treating physician’s opinion [does not trump] all other evidence but that a court must give it appropriate weight.” Id. at 1049. However, I think that Fortis acted arbitrarily and capriciously under all the circumstances in denying benefits to Darland, even without giving any special deference to the opinions of the treating physicians.