Federal Court Decisions ✓
Barboza v. Ca. Assn of Professional Firefighters, 2014 WL 6766687, 594 Fed.Appx 903 (9th Cir. 2014) (concerning the question of offsets to disability
benefits an ordering an award of prejudgment interest in an amount to be determined on remand to the district court);
benefits an ordering an award of prejudgment interest in an amount to be determined on remand to the district court);
Barboza v. Ca. Assn of Professional Firefighters
Nolan v. Heald College,551 F.3d 1148 (9th Cir. 2009) (holding that traditional summary judgment rules apply in evaluating an administrator’s conflict of interest and permitting bench trials with live testimony on the issue), on remand, 745 F. Supp.2d 916, 2010 WL 1837805 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 27, 2010) (awarding long-term disability benefits and finding that MetLife operated under a conflict of interest and abused its discretion);
Nolan v. Heald College,
Saffon v. Wells Fargo & Co. Long Term Disability Plan, 511 F.3d 1206 (9th Cir. 2008) (holding that insurers must engage in a clear communications process in administering ERISA benefit claims);
Saffon v. Wells Fargo & Co. Long Term Disability Plan,
Hasten v. Prudential, 470 F. Supp. 3d 1076 (N.D. Cal. 2020) (determining that Plaintiff was entitled to file suit where Defendant failed to strictly adhere to the ERISA Regulations’ deadlines for decisions)
Shaikh v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 445 F. Supp. 3d 1 (N.D. Cal. 2020) (awarding disability benefits where the insurer failed to account for consistent pain complaints)
Notable Publications
“Supreme Court Summary”: LaRue v. DeWolff, Boberg & Associates, Inc. (ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law, March 17, 2008)
“ERISA Disability Traps & Tricks for the Non-ERISA Practitioner” (The Verdict, Fall 2017)
“Reforming Disability Claim Procedures Under ERISA” (Law 360, Dec. 2016)
“How to Apply For Long Term Disability Benefits,” (Vestibular Disorders Association, Nov. 2016
“Can you get benefits when Lyme disease forces you out of your job?” (lymedisease.org; July 2016)
“Insurance Benefits” in ERISA Litigation (2014 and 2015-2017 Supplements).
“Once an ERISA Plan, Always an ERISA Plan?” in July 2014 Employee Benefits Committee Newsletter.
“NFL flying too high with its disability plan?” in September 30, 2013 Daily Journal commentary on the ERISA governed NFL plan.
Contributing Author, “Benefit Claims and Individual Rights,” Sacher, et al., Employee Benefits Law (BNA).
Rewrite Author and Editor, “Benefit Claims and Individual Rights,” Sacher, et al., Cumulative Supplement of Employee Benefits Law, 2nd Ed (BNA).
“Employee Benefit Plans Governed by ERISA,” Dividing Pensions and Other Employee Benefits in California Divorces (CEB Dec. 2006).
Co-author, “Employee Benefits,” California Domestic Partnerships (CEB 2005) (treatise received the 2006 award for Professional Excellence from the Association for Continuing Legal Education).
“Abatie v. Alta Health & Life Insurance: A Turnabout by the En Bane Ninth Circuit on the Standard of Review Results in a Win for ERISA Plaintiffs,” (Torts, Trial, and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association, Fall/Winter 2006).
“The Resurrection of ‘Female Hysteria’ in Present-Day ERISA Disability Law,” Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, a Continuation of The Berkeley Women’s Law Journal (Vol. 20, 2005).
Author, Reforming Disability Claims Procedures Under ERISA(Law360, 2016);
Author, Ch. 27 Insurance Benefits,ERISA Litigation, 5th Ed. (BNA, 2014);
Contributing Author to Sacher, et al., EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LAW (BNA), Chapter 13,
Benefit Claims and Individual Rights and to EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LAW (BNA), Third Edition.
Recorder 50 Lawyers on the Fast Track
Top 20 lawyers under 40
Recent Speaking Engagements
2018
2018
American Bar Association 2018 Midwinter Meeting of the Employee Benefits Committee:
Benefits Claim Discovery and Full and Fair Review in a de Novo World
2017
2017
American Bar Association 2017 Midwinter Meeting of the Employee Benefits Committee:
New Disability Regulations
2017
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
Miss-Manners: Women and Sexism in Law
2017
Advanced ERISA Benefit Claims Litigation Conference:
Filing Benefit Claims.
2017
Santa Clara County Bar Association Lawyer Lean In Annual Meeting:
Marketing for Kick-Ass Women Lawyers.
2017
Vestibular Disorders Association How to Apply for Disability with a Vestibular Disorder.
Vestibular Disorders Association
2017
Benefits Administration—Issues Unique to Long-Term Disability Claims.
Advanced ERISA Benefit Claims Litigation Conference
2017
Marketing for Kick-Ass Women Professionals.
Palo Alto Lean In Circle
2016
2016
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Medical-Legal Partnership for Seniors (MLPS).
University of California, Hastings College
2016
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 5th Annual Diversity Leadership Summit, Finding Your Personal Brand in the Face of Stereotypes.
Diversity Leadership Summit
2016
ERISA’s Remedial Scheme and 502(a)(3) Claims, American Conference Institute’s 12th National Forum on ERISA Litigation.
ERISA’s Remedial Scheme
2015
2015
Benefit Claims Update at the February 2015 Midwinter Meeting of the Section of Labor & Employment Law Employee Benefits Committee, sponsored by the ABA.
Benefit Claims
2015
PowerPoint Techniques for Leadership Development Program, sponsored by the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law.
Effective Legal Presentations;
2014
2014
Marketing for Successful Women Attorneys at a July 2014 luncheon sponsored by FindLaw;
Marketing for Successful Women Attorneys
2014
Filing Long-Term Disability Administrative Claims and Administrative Appeals of Long-Term Disability Claims, at the June 20, 2014 ABA and Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Long-Term Disability Benefits Advanced Seminar.
Filing Long-Term Disability Administrative Claims
2013
2013
Benefit Claims Litigation: From Claims Review to Standard of Review and Discovery and Dispositive Motions; and Civil Litigation Practice Pointers;at the ERISA Litigation National Institute conference, sponsored by the ABA and Joint Committee on Employee Benefits;
2013
Benefits Administration at the Long-Term Disability Benefits Advanced Seminar, sponsored by the ABA and Joint Committee on Employee Benefits
Benefits Administration
Top 40 under 40 National Trial lawyers
Superb rating 10 out of 10
Lifetime Achievement
In addition to Cassie Springer Ayeni’s numerous honors and awards, Cassie is an active leader in the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section and Employee Benefits Committee, where she repeatedly speak at conferences, and co-chairs committees including the Member Services Committee, the Marketing Committee, the Leadership Development Program Committee, the National Programs Committee, and the Benefit Claims and Individual Rights Subcommittee. From 2013-2014, Cassie also served as Governor-at-Large for the California Women Lawyers Board of Governors.
She has achieved many Ninth Circuit and Federal District Court victories, including decisions setting the standard for judicial review of denied disability benefit claims.
-Disclaimers
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