Calvert v. Firstar Finance, Inc.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

34 federal appellate · 7 district · 1 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 188 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “reliance on a file review does not, standing alone, require the conclusion that [a plan administrator] acted improperly.”

   9 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Smith v. Continental Casualty Co. · Smith v. Bayer Corporation Long Term Disability Plan

2. “The Court would have a better feel for the weight to accord this conflict if Calvert had explored the issue through discovery.”

   4 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. Myers v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America · Mulligan v. Provident Life & Accident Insurance

3. ““[C]ourts have no warrant to require administrators automatically to accord special weight to the opinions of a claimant’s physician; nor may courts impose on plan administrators a discrete burden of explanation when they credit reliable evidence that conflicts with a treating physician’s evaluation.” Black & Decker Disability Plan v. Nord, 538 U.S. 822, 834 [, 123 S.Ct. 1965 , 155 L.Ed.2d 1034 ] (2003). The Supreme Court nonetheless admonished that “[p]lan administrators ... may not arbitrarily refuse to credit a claimant’s reliable evidence, including the opinions of a treating physician.” Id.”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 758 F. Supp. 2d 492 - Byrd v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America · Denmark v. Liberty Life Assurance Co.