W. Va. Man Wins 4th Circuit Ruling in Fight Over $40 Medical Bill
A West Virginia man has taken his fight over a $40 medical bill to the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and won.
Sam Juniper said the case was a matter of principle, the Associated Press reports. He says his health benefits weren’t supposed to change after retirement, but his company’s insurer refused to cover the cost of some of his blood work.
The ERISA case was handled for free by lawyer Mark Underwood. Juniper’s former employer, M&G Polymers USA, had argued the ERISA plan administrator had made a reasonable decision to deny coverage for part of the work.
The unpublished 4th Circuit opinion (PDF posted by ContractsProf Blog) affirmed a decision granting summary judgment to Juniper. He plans to frame his $40 check when he receives it.
