Workers suing over disability and other benefits under the federal law known as ERISA may win attorney fees and costs if they achieve “some degree of success on the merits,” a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
In Hardt v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., the justices rejected a tougher standard imposed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit on fee claimants under the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act. The lower appellate court had ruled that a claimant must be a “prevailing party” before seeking a fee award.
