Scharff

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

DONNA SCHARFF, 

Plaintiff-Appellant, v. No. 07-55951 RAYTHEON COMPANY SHORT TERM  D.C. No.

CV-07-00134-PSG

DISABILITY PLAN; RAYTHEON

COMPANY LONG TERM DISABILITY OPINION

PLAN,

Defendants-Appellees.  Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Philip S. Gutierrez, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted February 4, 2009—Pasadena, California

Filed September 9, 2009

Before: Harry Pregerson, Susan P. Graber, and Kim McLane Wardlaw, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Graber; Dissent by Judge Pregerson

12807 12810 SCHARFF v. RAYTHEON COMPANY

COUNSEL

Peter S. Sessions and Lisa S. Kantor, Kantor & Kantor LLP, Northridge, California, for the plaintiff-appellant.

Ariadne Staples, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Long Island City, New York; and Robert K. Renner, Barger & Wolen LLP, Irvine, California, for the defendants-appellees.

OPINION

GRABER, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiff Donna Scharff worked for the Raytheon Company. The Raytheon Company employees’…