Staley
Staley v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 SHARAE M. STALEY, Case No. 20-cv-09497-HSG
Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S
REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL
v. DISCOVERY
METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE Re: Dkt. No.
COMPANY,
11 Defendant. 12 On February 4, 2021, Plaintiff Sharae M. Staley brought this ERISA action against Defendant Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”), alleging a failure to provide benefits and a breach of fiduciary duties. Dkt. No. 10 (“FAC”) ¶¶ 34, 42. On April 7, 2021, the parties appeared before the Court for a case management conference. The Court ordered supplemental briefing from the parties regarding the scope of discovery. See Dkt. No. 15. Having reviewed the parties’ briefing, see Dkt. Nos. 19, 20, the Court, in its discretion, GRANTS Plaintiff’s request for discovery beyond the administrative record. As an initial matter, MetLife contends that the abuse of discretion standard of review applies. The Ninth Circuit requires an…