Sutton

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 Keith Sutton, No. 2:22-cv-00732-KJM-CKD Plaintiff, ORDER v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, et al., 1S Defendants. 16 Plaintiff Keith Sutton contends he was wrongly denied long-term disability benefits under an employee benefits plan administered by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife). He 19 is pursuing a claim against the benefits plan and MetLife under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). As explained below, Sutton has shown that MetLife erroneously denied benefits under the plan. 22 I. BACKGROUND The dispute in this case is a narrow one. Under the disability plan’s policy documents, if an employee’s disability is attributable to a neuromuscular or musculoskeletal condition, benefits 25 are normally paid for only twenty-four months, even if the disability persists beyond twenty-four months, and even if the disability prevents the…