STANDARD INSURANCE COMPANY v. JOEL MICHAEL GUY, JR. - Articles

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Posted by: Azya Thornton on Aug 19, 2024

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Aaron Z. Roper, WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: James W. Friauf, LAW OFFICE OF JAMES W. FRIAUF, Knoxville, Tennessee, for Appellees.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Aaron Z. Roper, WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: James W. Friauf, LAW OFFICE OF JAMES W. FRIAUF, Knoxville, Tennessee, for Appellees Dennison and Crain. Michael Hoover, INTERPLEADER LAW, LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for Appellees Madere and Kinler.

Judge(s): GRIFFIN, BUSH, and LARSEN, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville

LARSEN, Circuit Judge. Joel M. Guy, Jr. brutally murdered his parents with the calculated goal of collecting the proceeds of his mother’s insurance plans. He argues that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) requires that he receive those benefits. The district court disagreed, concluding either that ERISA does not preempt Tennessee’s slayer statute or that the federal common law prevents Guy from benefitting from his murders. Guy now appeals. We AFFIRM.

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