Abatie v. Alta Health & Life Insurance Company

421 F.3d 1053 Karla H. ABATIE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. ALTA HEALTH & LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, a Delaware corporation, f/k/a Anthem Home Life Insurance Company, f/k/a Home Life Financial Assurance Company, Defendant-Appellee. No. 03-55601. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted February 11, 2005. Filed August 31, 2005. COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED Craig Price, Griffith & Thornburgh, LLP, Santa Barbara, CA, for the appellant. R. Daniel Lindahl, Bullivant Houser Bailey, P.C., Portland, OR, for the appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California, John F. Walter, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CV-01-06699-JFW. Before: PREGERSON, BEEZER, and TALLMAN, Circuit Judges. BEEZER, Circuit Judge: 1 Appellee Alta Health & Life Insurance Company ("Alta"), administrator of an ERISA-regulated employee welfare benefit plan, denied appellant Karla H. Abatie's claim for life insurance benefits for the death of her husband, Dr. Joseph Abatie ("Dr. Abatie"). After conducting a bench trial, the district court held that Alta did not abuse its discretion. Abatie…