Judge Jones overrules disability determination in ERISA case

In Davidson v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., Judge Jones ruled that the ERISA plan administrator's determination regarding the plaintiff's disability was unsupportable and therefore ordered the administrator to provide him with long-term disability benefits. The defendant argued that there were jobs available within the physical capacity of the plaintiff, while the plaintiff argued that a determination of what jobs were available should take into account the plaintiff's advanced age. The court concluded that the "failure to analyze whether Davidson’s age might be a barrier to his entry into another occupation precludes any finding that Liberty Life engaged in a principled reasoning process."