Hewlett Packard's denial of disability benefits is upheld by appeals court
When Laurie Cooper walked into the U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, in New Orleans, she had to demonstrate before the court that she had been denied a full and fair review of her claim and that the denial of her benefits abused the discretion given the benefit provider, Hewlett Packard Company Disability Plan. Two out of three judges found that she had failed to do this. In a two-to-one decision, the ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas was affirmed.
The end result? Ms. Cooper will not receive long-term disability benefits. Let's look at this case and see how the circuit judges reached their conclusions.
